Videos

I was looking for some older pictures.  The littles came and looked over my shoulder and then wanted to watch the videos of when they were smaller.  So I set them up and I go do something else.
Pretty soon I hear them talking and one of them commenting that they were hearing Papa's voice.  Me too.  Glad they hadn't forgotten it yet.  And it does my soul good when I hear him.  So grateful for the videos he made of the kids.  More grateful that he made sure I had copies of all of them.  He looked out for me in a lot of ways.

A New Plan

A couple of weeks ago I set up a day for Madison to come babysit.  Yes, we have a new babysitter.  Again.  And I expect this one will eventually go the way of paycheck jobs also.  Anyway setting up a date gave me the option to make plans.
And naturally the first one fell through right off the bat.  So then I decided I would use the time to go shopping at Costco.  I love shopping at Costco by myself.  So it was the plan.
Then Pat got a load of wood yesterday and asked me if I wanted to go with today. His friend had said I could come pick blackberries. Well shoot, that put Costco on a back burner.
The cow really liked having people in its field.  It talked and talked and Pat had to honk at it to get it out of the way of the truck.
I think I picked enough berries for a batch of jam and maybe a small cobbler. Hoping so after the little man ate almost half a container after I got home.

New Friends

We met up with one of my co-workers today.  She brought her son and the kids played for like three hours.  Her son being an only child doesn't get this much play in with this much energy usually.  It was a good day for all three of them.  Even if my two kept up the sibling rivalry way past the norm.  Normally at a playground they play well together or they don't play with each other at all.
Amazingly enough the little man wanted to go to Kiwanis Park later and spend some more time playing.  We did that for an hour and now hopefully he will settle in for the night and sleep well.

Lazy Girl Day

Dropped the little man off at Uncle Pat's and then it was girl day.  And we did not do much.  Rocked the duck pond, did a little shopping at Walmart for backpacks, and drove through the drive thru at DQ.  The little woman really wanted a chocolate cone.  She loves chocolate cones.
We took a little nap in the afternoon and I painted a few rocks.  Just a pretty lazy day that was peaceful and nice down time.

Five Guys Named Moe

We were thinking about it anyway, but then Marti invited us to meet her there.  So we went to Esther Short Park for the Six to Sunset Concert.  It was Five Guys Named Moe, which is a 13 member band who rocked.  Several of the sponsors were on hand and giving away product.  Some had activities for the kids to do.  Mine enjoyed some Cherry Dr. Pepper from Corwin and the little man made a button at the PUD booth.
We all danced and the little woman was invited on stage to dance along with a few other girls.  It was the highlight of her night.  She was so excited.  One of the moves they were suggested to do was the robot and she nailed it.  Who knew she could robot.
The little man had to tell Marti his joke and she laughed and laughed.  He spent the majority of his time on the playground wearing himself out.  He did listen to the band for awhile and you could see part of his body moving to the beat.
I'm not super fond of that green dress she was wearing, but let me tell you it was perfect in a crowd.  I could spot her anywhere she was.  It really stood out and no one else was wearing any color near it.
We had such a great night.  Maybe we will see who is playing next week.

Well....Maybe

Since I was making life harder on myself with the title, maybe I am also making life harder on myself for the passports I want to get for the kids.  I belong to a facebook group of relatives raising children and many of them have passports for the kids.  All they had to do was take the birth certificate and the application and custody/guardianship paperwork.
So I need to get off my butt and get back downtown and get a certified copy of the little man's guardianship paperwork and maybe I'm good.  Wouldn't life be grand?
I had broached the subject with Cassie and that opened a can of worms where she wants the kids to come to Indiana summers and she wants me to half foot the bill.  Right.  My money goes to supporting the kids and our vacation.

Made It Harder

 I made it so much harder than it had to be.  After searching for days and not finding the title we were going with plan B.  Even plan B had some hitches.  Mom apparently lost her social security card and we need it as one of her proofs of who she is.
I'm lamenting at work about the trials of this situation.  Liz pops off with the suggestion of me just doing it at the DMV with the power of attorney.  So this morning after dropping kids off at daycare I stopped at the local agent and asked.
After Pat got up, he met me at the licensing agents place and I brought the POA and we transferred the title.  No problems, easy peasy.  I think it makes both him and Mom happy.

Just Like Dave

Oh my gosh.  So Dave used to hide stuff for safe keeping.  And then he would get incredibly frustrated trying to find it again.  I always told him to just hide stuff in one place.  Well when you have an addict around who searches well.....guess that is the need to keep finding new hiding places.
That same thing is true of a five year-old.  My little man can find anything.  Too bad I can't harness that to find the stuff I hid.  His finding ability means I keep looking for new places to hide stuff.  And right now I can't find a car title.  Now I know I did not hide it from him.  I just put it some place so it would be safe.  I knew eventually I would have to deal with it and wanted it to be easy.
I have spent three days looking.  Have found all kinds of other stuff that was missing....not hidden, just misplaced.
Since I can't find it, we have to do something else.  Starts with Mom.  It is her car after all.  Looked up lost title information and it is no problem to have one done....normally.  Mom's driver license expired when she quit driving and we didn't change it to an ID card.  Well she needs an unexpired ID card to apply for lost title.  Okay.  Well because it has been over a year since her DL expired it is no longer considered an A list item, which she would only need one.  She fits no other qualifications on the A list.  So then she needs four B list items.  Oy.  Most of which don't fit her.  And I need to find her birth certificate.  I have seen it in the search for the title.  Guess I am on a search again.
Just like Dave.  If only I had one hiding spot that no one else could find.  ;p

Sidewalk

Had a bit of motivation in the morning.  So I used it and broke out the pressure washer.  Cleaned the sidewalk in front of the house to the driveway.  I managed to get both chocolate milk messes to come up.  Got some algae up.  Made it look incredibly better.
Then when I went outside tonight.....there was paper and packing peanuts all over it.  I don't know where all those packing peanuts came from, but what a mess.  Seems to be the story of my life living with children.
The saving grace is it is all able to be picked up.  No having to pressure wash again.  ;p

Lazy

Well not totally.  I did mow my dandelions this morning and cut down some blackberry vines.  My goal was to break out the pressure washer and do the front porch, but I was too tired and hot after mowing.  So maybe tomorrow.
We went to the grocery store late after it started cooling down.  Both kids took a late nap.  I should have laid down too.  Then the whole time we were in the store one was complaining about how cold the store was.  Oy.  We made a very quick trip.  Which means we have stuff for lunches.  Hopefully.   Looks like I'm going another shopping this week, maybe without them.  ;p

Just Keep Swimming

I had planned on two swim sessions at the hotel pool last weekend.  Then the little woman stubbed her toe really good and it left an open wound.  So I told the littles that we would swim at Firstenburg today for open swim.
First I found my coupon after we had paid.  Hopefully I will remember to use it next time. And so we swam.  We spent the first whole hour in the "river".  Part of that time they both took the life vests off.  I was proud of how well they did.
About half an hour from the end of the session I commented to the little woman that if she had a life vest on she was probably big enough to do the slide.  Well.....let me tell you....one is not going to let the other do something by herself.  So they both did the slide.  And again and again and again.  The whole last half hour.  And their comments were, "It is so awesome," and " This is so fun and the best thing ever."  I think it was a hit.  Neither one was a bit afraid.  But they were both tired when they got done.  They had to climb stairs every single time.  And I bet they did it at least 20 times in the last half hour.

Karen's Service

Well the service was today.  And every light between work and the funeral home conspired against me.  I got there as people were moving to the refreshment room.  Ahhh.  All I can say is the service must not have started late at all and it was very short.
I sat next to Kaden.  Another lady (his mom I learned later) sat on the other side of him.  Someone else came up and asked if he was okay.  He said he was.  I looked at him and said, "It is okay if you are not okay."  Because he was not okay.  Today was the second hardest day of his life with respect to his granny.
On my way out I saw Wes.  I gave him a hug.  I still see the kid in him that I used to know.  And he has been an adult for a long time now.  It was good to see him and I'm so glad he had realized he needed to spend some time with his mom before she died.  I was worried about that.
Sam was great on a day of great sadness.  His quiet time is coming.  I hope he remembers how many people love him and loved Karen.  For a week or two after a death there is a lot of noise.  Things to do.  And then that all gets done and people go home and on with their lives.  And that is when the loss is felt all over again.  I think the having to do all the things and deal with the people is what keeps us sane for the first couple of weeks.  It gives us time before we have to start dealing with our real outrageous grief.  I know from experience since I didn't have that that it makes things harder.
And Chris had a harder time.  He didn't join people in the refreshment room.  And that is all right.  I hope he got lots of hugs later.
Sending all the light and love I can muster to Karen's family.  They need it right now.

Concert

I asked Marti if she wanted to go and she was all excited about it.  So tonight we saw Matchbox Twenty and The Counting Crows.  It was a really good show.  I can't believe how much energy Rob Thomas has on stage.  Matchbox Twenty had a spectacular light show.  I'm so happy I went and that Marti went with me.

When my friend Karen went on hospice it was another wake up call to how fleeting life is.  I'm very frugal and sometimes it is hard to spend money frivolously.  But I had a wake up call that I need to do things I enjoy.  And then a groupon passed my way for lawn seating tickets at the amphitheater for this concert.  And since I was buying pretty early I got the tickets for $20 a piece and no service charges.  So it suited my doing things I love and my frugal nature.  Win, win for me.

Thanks Marti for going and chatting about all the things we chatted about.  I had a great time and loved the music and the company.  And our popcorn dinner was great.

RIP Karen

My friend, my friend, my friend.  She fought a long hard battle against that cancer that was determined to win.  She went on hospice last February after trying every drug and treatment she could.  There was finally just nothing left for the medical world to give her.
I am so happy that I went and saw her a couple of times when she was her old self.  Once she was off all the cancer drugs she was coherent and we had great conversations.  Last week I had one of those moments again and thought I needed to make contact.  Karen had moved to the Ray Hickey House for her final days.  By the next day after I talked to Sam, she was gone.  She made it almost five months on hospice and that is a lot.
Karen was my friend and had been so for a long time.  We were roommates for a summer.  I was there for her when her youngest son was born.  I was there at her wedding.  She went to school and became an insurance agent and she became mine.  When she moved from one company to another so did I.....once I knew about it.  She was very ethical and never solicited.  But she is my friend and I wanted her giving me answers because I trusted her.
I remember when her older son set a mattress in her house on fire.  I remember her dad having a stand off with the local sheriff's deputies and shooting out the street light.  I remember watching slasher movies with her when I skipped school and any time we could.  She loved birds and dogs and her children.  She really loved her grandchildren and was sad to be preceded in death by one of them. He was on that same path as my son and it gave us more to talk about.
She was a great role model.  She always was pleasant and showed how to love your family.  She made do with what she had and worked hard to provide for her family.  In all the years she was married to Sam I only heard a half negative thing once.  She loved him a lot.  And he took very good care of her through her illness.
Light and love Karen on your journey.
Light and love Sam, Wes, Chris and Kaden.  She watches over you from above.

Done My Part

And we counted the store.  Again the section I counted was the last to be done.  There are a lot of different things in pens and office supplies, so it takes a lot longer to get it counted.  Erik was my teammate and we did  pretty good.  He caught some things that I may or may not have caught.

Under that towel is a head of peanut butter.  We have a small lice problem.  We have treated it twice and still find nits.  My friend Michael suggested I get ahold of the picky picky salon who will guarantee they get them all.  Well I called and I'm not up to paying $90 a hour per head.  One child means both children.  It just struck her first. So we tried the recommendation of Liz's doctor when her kids had some that were resistant to the chemicals.  Getting peanut butter out of hair is fun.  Takes a little while.  But when I looked for nits I only found two afterward.  Now we will wait and see what they say at daycare tomorrow.

Thanks Pat for watching them today.

Home Again

It only took four hours and twenty minutes of driving to get home.  We sailed through Seattle.  We did stop at Chad and Ky's and had a quick visit with them and Gina.  We met their new dog Penny.  Took the kids over to the school to burn off a little energy.  It was good seeing them.
Then the rest of the way home was mostly quiet.  Started off rambunctious, but the little man fell asleep.
Once home we unloaded the car and did hit the grocery store for a few items for lunches for a couple of days.  I just didn't feel like a whole big shopping after our very busy weekend and all those hours in the car.
Feels good to be home and all our furbabies missed us and none were mad this time.  :)

Family Reunion

                                         Low Tide.  High tide has water where the kids are playing.

Our day started with the breakfast buffet and swimming.  The littles and I spent an hour and a half in the pool and about ten minutes in the hot tub.  I could have stayed in the hot tub a lot longer, but it's not really good for kids.
And then it was off to the reunion.  People remembered Mom and I from last time.  We met a whole bunch of new people.  The tide was out so the sound looked empty.  I tried to convince Fred that it would come in.  High tide wasn't until 11 p.m. though so he did not see it in its glory.
They put on quite a spread.  There were burgers and hotdogs.  And several salmons.  Very tasty.  And then lots of salads and devilled eggs and fruit.  Lovely.  The little man had fried chicken.  I was amazed.
The neighbor has a drone and flew it over for a group shot.  That should be interesting to see.
We loved going and talking to every one and spending time with our MN cousins.

Hanging Out

It again took over six hours to drive to Bellingham.  I was really glad we got an earlier start than I first thought was going to happen.  I got off work early.  That meant that we were almost travelling with Pat and mom.  It was still going on 9 when we got here.
Looking forward to spending the day with the northern relatives and the MN relatives.

Ready For Inventory

Today I set up the clothes room for inventory tomorrow.  I did the final pre-counts and set the map.  So hopefully when it gets actually counted it will go smooth and quickly.  The 'boys' worked in the warehouse and the storeroom.  I think we are ready.
Tomorrow I man the warehouse while Liz does inventory stuff.  She and Monica do the downloads, recharges and looking for errors.  It's a much easier day as opposed to next week when we do the whole store.

The MN relatives made it up to Seattle just fine.  Said they are having fun.  I'm sure they are.  Looking forward to sitting down with them and talking more.  And hopefully Mom will be less cantankerous.

Family

Their trip has been planned for a year.  I wasn't sure if Debbie's passing was going to throw a kink in that or not.  It did not.  They arrived today. Fred, his girls and their spouses are all here for the family reunion.  They are going to spend a few days sightseeing and being tourists.
We met for lunch.  We picked up Mom, but then Pat had to take her home.  She got on a roll and wouldn't let it go.  So it was time to get the show on the road.
I had a nice chat with Brenda's husband Dave.  We were sitting next to each other.  I sure am glad he can carry a conversation.  Tammy's husband was kind of quiet.  They were probably pretty tired after their flight.  Fred had commented about getting up at 3 a.m.
The littles loved their family.  Neither one remembered meeting any of them before because they were so little themselves then.  They will remember this though.
I painted a rock for Debbie that Brenda can take back to MN with her.

And a side note.....my blog has never had the response that yesterday's post about Debbie had.  948 page views.  I think Debbie touched a lot of hearts and souls.

RIP Debbie

Over the weekend Brenda had told me about Debbie falling and being hospitalized.  They were very concerned about her because she couldn't feel her body.  But Brenda said Debbie was in good spirits.  And that is how I think of Debbie. But she got pneumonia after this horrible fall.  And we know pneumonia is a quick taker of life.  Last night we learned of her death and the world stopped for a moment.
 I never met her.  She moved to Milaca after my last trip there.  Debbie is the sister of my cousins Brenda, Melinda and Tammy.  I assume she moved to Milaca to be closer to them.  Anytime anyone talked about her it was always good.  She was a happy person.  I noticed from her posts on Facebook how she was always watching out for her family.  She pointed out things she thought they would like.  Every picture she would be smiling.
So heaven gained an angel and our world lost a ray of sunshine.  And it truly did.  I'm going to miss the pictures of her smiling face.  I'm going to send light and love to my cousins in their time of grief and loss.  I picture Debbie sitting with their mom just chatting away....you know.  They are keeping each other company.  I'm sorry that I never got to meet her.  I'm glad her sisters got to have a real relationship with her and her with them.
So RIP Debbie.  Share your beautiful smile with Doris and beam your light our way once in awhile so we feel you.  Light and love.

Monday

First day of rush.  Last day of Cassie's visit.  An odd day.  Rush didn't feel rushy.  I guess it did to the cashiers.  Now granted they deal with all the people buying something.  We deal with the people with book bags and questions.  Most of the day there was just one of us manning the bag check booth and we could have just done with security and let people use the cubbies.  It is so hard to predict how rush is going to go.  I believe tomorrow is part security day and the rest of the time is inventory prep.
The little man got himself banned from a neighbor's yard.  He was playing with the boys and something happened.  He hit their mom's car with a stick.  And so now he can't play there.  Actually not a bad thing in the long run.  But oy.
We did not hear from Cassie at all.  Makes me sad that she spent so little time with them this year. Last year she made much more effort.  Of course this year it would have taken effort to come see them.  She only saw them when I did transportation.  So a few hours on Sunday.  A good visit over the fourth until the afternoon of the fifth and then lunch yesterday.  I don't comprehend, but then I guess I don't have to.  Actions tell lots of stories to lots of people.  I just hope that the littles think of it as something different than what it was.
Now we get back to our life and our plans.  Not waiting to see what is going to happen.

Late Lunch

We met up with the gang at Red Robin.  Had a lovely late lunch.  Thought we might beat the lunch crowd, but it was still pretty busy.  The little woman placed herself right next to Nana Nita.  The little man sat by Jazzlynn.  When you put the three of them together you can tell the age differences.  Not in size, but in action.   I'm so happy to be in the sweet ages.
As it was time to leave, Cassie wanted to know how old the littles had to be to fly by themselves.  I don't believe there is an age limit on that.  But the airlines charge you an extra amount each way for them to chaperone and watch out for your child.  That sunk her boat for now.  And it is funny.....because she could have had them for the whole week they were here.  She chose not to and only have them a tiny bit.
This trip was not about seeing the kids.  This trip was about seeing friends and David's family.  And that's all right.  We don't expect much.  We don't set the bar too high.

Sunny Saturday

We did a pick up of the house.  Yes, as soon as the littles were home on Wed.  the nice and clean disappeared.  Since we weren't sure about happenings today we wanted to be prepared in case anyone came by. I wish we had never said anything in ear shot of the littles.  They spent the afternoon watching for Nana Nita.
No one showed and the mess has returned.  Amazing how quick that can happen.  Cassie texted me late afternoon (party was later in the day?) asking if I wanted to come and that it was at Sandi's house.  Well I'm not a party crasher.  It was a surprise birthday party for Cassie's aunt who I've only really seen once and it didn't leave a great impression.  So I declined.  I would have taken the littles if they had been asked to go.  I had told Cassie on Wed. I was willing to transport them if necessary.  But obviously that was not to be.  And it's funny.  The little woman is seven and a half and in all that time I have never known where Aunt Sandi lives.
I did have a conversation with Traci while she was on the way down from Yelm.  No words said about today.  We discussed the day she is coming down to babysit and firmed up those plans.  She is going to spend the night so I won't have to worry about the drive home after the concert and feel rushed.  So that is all good.  Traci goes over the top being their aunt.

Auntie Brenda

After work today Brenda and I were talking in the parking lot.  We were discussing the goings on this week with the kids and their Mommy visit.  Our family is very very small.  It used to be bigger, but a lot of the people in it died off as happens.  And some deaths bring the ends of other relationships.  As often happens.
The littles have this whole other side which is Cassie's family.  Some live up north and some live here.  If Nana Nita doesn't take them, they have no interaction with the ones who live here.  And Nana Nita lives up north so it doesn't happen very often.  The littles are completely out of sight out of mind.  I used to try to help the littles have relationships with this family.  I have been told countless times that they would help in any way they could.  I asked once who Rhianna used for daycare when I was looking at the need.  I had msged her on facebook since I no longer had her address/phone number.  It took her over three years to respond to it. I asked Missy if we could come see the farm when Audrie was in her farm stage.  That didn't happen.  It is what it is.  After a bit I gave up on trying.
So I try to put this whole thing in that bag of things that I try to let go of.  Yeah, I know, easier said than done.  Most of the time I'm pretty good and don't think about these things.  We just live our life and go about our day to day routine.  This week it all feels thrown in my face and it is hard to let it go.  I already know I am going to be offended if the littles don't get to go to the picnic.  Jazzlynn is going.  So I guess we wait and see how that one goes and not try to worry too much about it until it happens or doesn't.
But Brenda and I were talking about how we (meaning me and the littles) are creating our own family.  That is why we have an Auntie Brenda and an Auntie Marti.  We haven't found any cousins yet, but we might yet.  We take our support and love anywhere it comes from.  And it is sad that it comes from people who aren't related, but again it is what it is.
We go to the island and feel more connection with people we only see twice a year than we do with those who are related.  But I guess we actually see those people at the island more than we see the family on Cassie's side.
So here is a BIG shout out to those who are a part of our lives because they choose to be.  We love Brenda and Marti. Good thing for them and all they bring to our table.

Ooops

Today was a routine day.  And after five days of being out of our routine, it appears we forgot how.  No one wanted to move this morning.  We ended up being about twenty minutes late to day care.  Mornings like this are hard.  The upside is we all got where we needed to go with no repercussions for our lateness.
Cassie had changed her mind on whether she was going to the birthday party/picnic this upcoming weekend.  Family drama.  But then her mom asked her to go.  So she changed her mind back.  I was told she wanted to take the kids, but she was going to have to check to see if it was okay.  The only thing Nana Nita had talked about was taking the kids out to eat on Sunday.  I'm flabbergasted to say the least.
It is that thing of words have no meaning.  It is the actions.  And it sure looks like the actions are exclusionary.  And I guess that is all right.  We can't be let down when we have no expectations.  So I'm not expecting the kids to be invited to the Kadow family gathering.  Again it is sad for them, but they don't know what they are missing.

Two. Only Two?

First Cassie asked if she can take the kids to the surprise birthday party, so the kids can see the family, play with the second cousins.  In the middle of asking she pops off with even though they see them all the time.  Wait, what?  We haven't seen any of the Kadow's since last July, when Cassie was here.  The only person in Cassie's family who makes any effort to include the littles is Traci.
Second the littles have now posed the question of "who am I?". Am I like a babysitter aunt?  Well no.  So now I seriously need to think about how to answer how they came to be with me.  Because they are finally questioning it all.  And how do you explain that to little kids?  In a way they can understand without all the drama and heartache.
Yeah two things are enough for today.

Golly Gee

The littles went to spend the holiday with their Mom.  Overnight.  My first overnight since August of last year without them.  I dropped them off.
Then I came home and cleaned and cleaned.  The living room and the kitchen are clean and have stayed so since I finished.  Wow.  Amazing.  So this is what it is like without kids.  ;p
I have netflixed all afternoon and painted some rocks this evening.  Now I am listening to fireworks.  Just enjoying the peace and quiet of the house.

Home

I resisted the urge to pack right up as soon as we got up.  So the little man headed to the beach and I didn't see him again until noon.  Well I saw him, but he didn't see me.  I packed up while Pat fished.  Pat is staying another night.  We needed to get home so we could unpack and take baths,etc.  Can't have the littles going to Cassie's dirty from camping.
While loading stuff in the car I realized there were two birds up in the tree.  I thought they were eagles, but I'm pretty sure they are ospreys.  And naturally by the time I got the camera out one of them had flown away.  Still very cool and impressive.  We watched them and the eagles all weekend.  Met some more people, had some good conversations and just a good time.  The little man missed out on smores because he was so exhausted he fell asleep before he ever got any.  Heard about it today let me tell you.
I love days on the river.  The kids can run to their hearts content.  They get tired out.  Life is slower for a couple of days.

Sunday Fun

For the past three years there has been a sailboat anchored out in the river.  It belongs to one of the regulars.  Well this year the river rose so much.  Guess it broke one of it's anchors.  Anyway, the boat is not in the river anymore.   I went for a walk and found it.  I guess it was jacked up, but one of the jacks gave.
We made use of Pat's new sport umbrella.  It is the coolest thing.  We can sit on the beach and have some nice shade.
I picked up Mom, Cassie, David and Jazzlynn today and brought them out.  They all played on the beach while I visited with Dede.  I love being at the island because I get a nice break from the kids misbehaving.  On the island they run and run and run.  Today they got to run with Mommy and Jazzlynn.  They had a good time.
Pat cooked us some halibut for dinner.  The little man again ate three pieces and this after he had had a hot dog.  Man I think he likes that fish.  And speaking of fish.  The little woman tried steelhead and halibut this weekend.  She claimed not to like either one, but she did try them.  It's an improvement.
The little will spend the fourth with Cassie.

Second Day

More fishing.  No fish.  Fires in pits.  No fires on Friday due to big wind.  The fire felt nice.  I visited with all the people today and felt like I must have finally arrived.  Either that or because so few of the regulars were there there were fewer people to talk to.
Tried to bring Mom out, but she wouldn't get up and come.  So I just went on back.