#2857 a whole bunch of stuff in seven days

The last time I wrote, I'd gone to see the Foo Fighters and had a little summer cold. Lots of things have happened since then.

Last weekend, on the 11th, I went to visit Mom and Lizzie in La Mirada. T and his girlfriend J came with me. On Saturday night, T and J went to see Drake in concert in LA. It was our birthday gift to T, some delayed gratification, but he was very happy. I'm pretty sure he was grateful that I got a ticket for J and that she was able to go with him. I was happy about it, too. I mean, I would have gone to the show with him if J hadn't come along, but I'm sure T was much happier seeing the show with J than with his mom. (heehee)

I got exactly what I wanted out of the weekend: time with Mom and Lizzie, time to relax, recover from some of the stress, and enjoy a bit of down time. Lizzie took me out on a nature walk in Coyote Hills and for a nice walk in a pretty park. We had coffee. We went to Seal Beach for a meal and a walk in the town and out on the pier. I was so glad to see the ocean and hear the waves. Everything was wonderful. 

We got back home on Monday evening. The flight was good, and I was glad to be home.

On Tuesday, MT and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. 30 YEARS!!! To celebrate, we had dinner at Mazza, a groovy little restaurant in the 15th and 15th neighborhood. We both enjoyed the meal immensely. It was also fun to try a new place. For dessert, we went around the corner to Sweetaly Gelato. I had salted caramel and coffee gelato. Oof. So good.

On Wednesday, I was in bed by 8:30 pm, and I slept good and hard until my alarm went off at 5:00 am on Thursday morning. 

On Friday, I went to see a dermatologist for the first time ever. I had a spot on my chest that I've had for over 10 years. It wasn't growing or hurting, but it was beginning to weigh on my mind. Mom has had some spots removed, so her action made me want to take some action, too. The dermatologist took one look at my spot and told me it was probably basal cell skin cancer. I thought maybe he'd just take a sample, but no. He removed the spot. The worst part of it was the lidocaine injections, and then the irritation caused by the Band-Aid adhesive on my tender, sensitive skin. I'm not wearing a Band-Aid now because my skin is red and itchy where the adhesive was. You can see the outline of the Band-Aid. I bought some gauze and some medical tape. When I go to bed, I'll use that to protect the wound. 

Yesterday was Saturday, and it was a really cool, fun day. The book club I am in, #EkpesBookClub, had an in-person meeting here in Salt Lake! Ekpe no longer lives here; he lives in Atlanta where he is now an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. He's going to be a great coach, I think. Anyway, he came back to town, and invited us to brunch at a nice Greek restaurant called Manoli's. It was wonderful to see him, and to see my book club friends, plus meet some of the clubbers for the first time. I thought it was so cool that clubbers came from Florida, Texas, and California! As a awesome bonus, the author of the book we read, Erin A. Craig, joined us for brunch. It was fun to sit around and listen to her stories and talk to her a little bit. 

After brunch, we went to The King's English Bookshop for an Author's Talk in which Ekpe asked Erin questions, and she responded. The bookshop is a Salt Lake institution, and independent bookstore on 15th and 15th, just a couple doors up from Mazza. It's freaking charming! They have a groovy little patio where the author conversations happen. Erin then signed books and posed for ussies and our book club took a group photo, which I don't have yet, but I hope that Ekpe will post it soon. We chatted and hung out and basically were delighted with all of it. I also bought a book and a couple of stickers while I was there. Here are some pics:

at brunch

Ekpe and Erin at The King's English

that's Erin Craig and me!

that's me and Ekpe Udoh!

Here are some of my book club friends! 

In the photo above, five of the women came from other states to have book club fun. The woman with black hair right in the front is Staci - she lives here in SLC. Behind her on the right is me, of course, then Kaitlyn, Colleen (mother and daughter from California), Sarah from Florida, Whitney from I don't know where, (I thought she lived here!), and Jan from Texas. That man in the background is Erin's husband. 

Oh yeah, and after all of that fun, I had to have some quiet time to myself, so I went to Sweetaly and got some gelato. This time I got coconut and pineapple. It was good, but the salted caramel and coffee was better. 

Today I spent most of the day at Red Butte Garden. I did the docent thing from 9:30 to 1:00, then I recorded blooms until around 3:00. I usually record blooms on Thursday, but it was raining that day, so I had to postpone. 

It's been a busy week!

This week, MT and I will be going back to Dixon. We'll leave on Thursday afternoon and come home on Sunday. I'm going to finalize setting up the trust with the bank, and MT is going to install a couple of new toilets at the house. Other than that, I will take Mac to the vet on Wednesday, and I will work my face off for The Company. 

I was glad to have this weekend of fun for myself. 

Have a great week. Stay safe!

#2833 mid-week art break

Happy post-Valentine's Day. When I was younger, before MT and I were married, I put a lot of stock in Valentine's Day. I had such high hopes and expectations for grand romantic gestures, and those hopes never really worked out for me. I had a co-worker whose husband made sure his wife got bragging rights in the office. For her birthday, Valentine's Day, their anniversary, and sometimes just on random days, she received big, beautiful bouquets of flowers delivered to the office which she would proudly display on her desk while chirping about her wonderful, amazing husband. MT low-key hated that guy, even though the husband was really a super nice guy. For me, it was my co-worker I came to low-key dislike because of the way she would always ask, "What did you guys do for Valentines? Did MT get you anything?" As you read that sentence, please imagine a high-pitch, sort of squeaky feminine voice and a condescending head tilt. ARGH! I just had such a gigantic flashback, and it's been over 25 years!!

MT and I have had some spectacular Valentine's Days. We have often been on vacation in February and celebrated the "holiday" on our holiday. (ha!) The very first big vacation we took back in 2006 was over Valentines. Mostly it was a really great day except that I threw up after riding an America's Cup racing boat in St. Maarten. Our last Valentines trip was four years ago, and we were in Thailand. That was pretty cool! I'll take a trip, even with vomit, over a bouquet of flowers anytime. 

All that being said, yesterday was just another day. We had takeout for dinner and I cried over a dog - not one of mine - that got hit in the road by our house. The sounds that poor dog made. It broke my dog-loving heart. Sad.

Sheesh...how do I bring up the mood after that? Let's talk about my latest art projects. Some of them are good for a laugh.

At my work, we do a Valentine exchange, you know, like in grade school where everyone gives everyone else a little card? We don't decorate our own boxes, although I think we did one year. This year, I decided to make valentines for my co-workers. I thought about doing some little drawings, but then I got a different idea from Jill the Artist, then I tweaked the idea, and I had lots of fun with it. 

The project was a multi-step process. First, I colored a couple of "stained glass" cards. Here's one:

If you're just sitting around, feeling kinda blah, I totally recommend doing something like this. It is immersive and meditative and fun.

Then, using a heart pattern, I traced a bunch of hearts on the page, and cut them out. 

To finish it, I cut some larger size hearts out of construction paper, and glued the colorful hearts onto the plain paper, then I doodled on the edges because it was fun for me. I ended up with 23 hearts, but I needed 25, so I drew a couple of others that are a bit different, but I like them and they were fun to do. 

Tomorrow is our all-hands in the office day, so I'll give these out tomorrow morning. I think they are pretty cute and I had a great time making them!

This evening after work, I participated in a workshop by Jill the Artist. I'm glad I joined her creative group because it keeps me involved in art and gives me different ideas rather than just finding stuff on Pinterest. Don't get me wrong - I love me some Pinterest and I really enjoy looking for art-y ideas there. It's just way more interesting for me right now to spend some time playing with Jill's ideas. 

Today's workshop was the third one I've attended since we got back from Greece. I think she usually does one a month, and I skipped November - I hadn't joined the group yet. She usually starts with some fun writing prompts to get the brain going, and then we start sketching and painting from ideas she gives us. We did some scribble pictures that are fun and freeing. 

The big blob in the top left corner is supposed to be a chicken. I didn't scribble enough and got a little reproach from Jill (yep, I knew she was talking to me.) Right below the chicken is a cat, and the other two scribbles are dogs. That one over in the top right corner actually kinda looks like Stella LOL.

Another fun way to get out of the analytical side of the brain is to draw from an upside down picture. So we were shown this owl:

I turned my sketchbook upside down and started sketching. When I turned my book right side up, I had this:

I know. But listen, I am a naive artist! That means I have no formal training, and the art I make can look child-like and unsophisticated. My mom told me this terminology, and it's really a thing.

Anyway, then I decided I might like to put a little paint on this owl, and I learned a valuable lesson.

The pen I used to sketch the owl "bleeds" when it is hit with water, so the paint ends up looking pretty muddy. I really like that pen to sketch with, but if I think I might be painting, I'll be sure to use a different type of pen. The Micron pens are way better with paint. So yeah, the painted owl isn't great. The color I was using on the wings and body was more like the orange-y brown stuff around him, but it just turned muddy, as you see. When it dried a little, I slapped a bit of blue and yellow on it because I could. I'm pretty sure I'll try all of it again sometime because it's fun.

Here's the next one. We were shown this picture:

Cute, right? I've been wanting to try to sketch some birdies. I turned my sketchbook upside down and got after it.  Are you ready for the result?

So, the bottom bird looks okay, but the birdies get progressively weirder from there. I like the tail feathers of the top bird, but what the heck happened to his beak and why is he so flat? It looks more like a creepy rodent with a bird's tail feathers, blowing it's nose. SIGH. Maybe I'll cut it into some interesting shape and re-purpose it somehow. More likely is that I'll  just leave it in the book to give myself a chuckle now and then.

My sketchbook has kind of become an art journal. I often make comments and notes about what I was doing, or trying to do. This is the hobby I never knew I always wanted. 

It's NBA All-Star weekend here in Salt Lake City. The authorities are expecting around 100,000 people to come to SLC over the next four days. I'll just be over here in the suburbs, reading and scribbling.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

#2567 today’s best: MT’s birthday

It is official: I’m married to an old guy. LOL Today is MT’s 60th birthday! We started going out when he was 25. It’s that crazy?

He took the day off from work, which I completely support. I don’t think a person needs to work on their birthday. I did work, but I was working from home, so it was kind of nice. MT mowed the lawn and did some weed-whacking. He napped. He snacked. He read. He did more work in the yard. 

I picked up some Mexican food for lunch and presented him with his Dairy Queen ice cream cake for dessert. I also gave him his gifts: backpacking food and a gift card to REI. 

It’s been a pleasant day, at least as far as I am concerned. I hope he enjoyed the day, also. He said he was feeling kind of tired after a long travel day yesterday. 

Happy birthday, love!

#2562 today’s best: talking to my sister

The best thing about today was looking forward to, and then talking to, my sister. While we might call at other times during the week, we have a standing date to chat on Tuesday night. I have a standing date to chat with my mom on Friday night. MT jokes that we are so “formal” about it, but I really like knowing that I have these weekly appointments. I know for an hour or so once a week, I get uninterrupted access to my mom and to my sister. (Sometimes there are interruptions, but they are always on my end.)

Almost all of our conversations start with, “I don’t have much to say.” An hour later, we are still chatting! 

The three of us send texts throughout the week as little things come up, but nothing beats those Tuesday and Friday calls.

#2463 grateful to the best sister in the universe

Today is my little sister's birthday. It gives me some pain that I am not giving her a big hug in person, but such is the way of the world right now.

A few weeks ago in a WW meeting, the coach asked us to list people we admire and to list three traits we most admire about those people. The first name I wrote down was Lizzie and I had a hard time stopping at three traits I admire about her. She is kind, generous, loyal, intelligent, funny, and compassionate. She's talented. She is loving. She is brave. She's really the best person I know, and I am grateful to not only have her as my sister, but also as a friend, probably my best friend. I'd rather spend time with her than just about anyone else. 

I love you, Lizzie! Happy birthday!

#2335 travel Tuesday: 10 years of travels

I finally finished by unravel of the past ten years. It was fun to look back and the good and the bad. Today I'll just talk about the big trips I took from 2010 through 2019. I didn't even count all the trips to California or to Pocatello. I went to some awesome places with people I love and I'm thankful for every trip.

2010

Palm Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Through Wyoming to Mount Rushmore and back again (photo by T)

2011

Samana, Dominican Republic

2012

Belize (with a side trip to Guatemala)

2013

Oklahoma City with T to watch a Utah Jazz game

Columbia, Missouri for Kevin & Janet's wedding

2014

Isla Mujeres, Mexico

2015

Hawaii

Barcelona

2016

Key West & Western Caribbean cruise (we are in Jamaica in this pic)

New Orleans (Lizze's birthday)

2017

Savannah, Georgia

San Francisco, CA

Stanley, Idaho (total solar eclipse viewing)

Outer Banks, North Carolina

2018

Mazatlan, Mexico

San Francisco, CA

Savannah, Georgia

2019

Cambodia

Thailand

Cancun, Mexico

#2312 two years

My dad died two years ago today. Although the fact of it has been on my mind all day, I haven't dwelt on it. I have kept myself occupied with lots of other things, I only teared up when I was talking to my son about it and looking at a photo I took of Dad with T when the kid was just a wee tyke of four or so. I'd framed the photo and given it to my dad as a gift. Lizzie and Mom sent it to T for Christmas. It might be one of my favorite photos. I don't have it on this computer or I'd post it. Another time. I truly don't think I could do it tonight. It would be too much emotion right before bed.

I miss my dad all the time. Hardly a day goes by that I don't think about him. I often think, "Dad wold love this!" or I think of something to tell him that would make him smile or hopefully laugh out loud and maybe even clap his hands. It felt so great to make him laugh like that.

Two years. Sometimes the memories of those last couple of weeks with him are so vivid I would have thought it was only a few months ago.

Do you know that I still have a couple of voice mails he left on my phone? I can't bring myself to delete them. They aren't anything really special, just him saying that he was calling to check in and see how we were doing. I don't listen to them very often, but I like knowing they are there.

Well damn, I shouldn't have waited so long to write tonight because now I'm sad.

Good night.

#2149 sad day

Today has been tough for me, friends. My dad passed away a year ago today and I've been feeling blue. Last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I kept flashing back to the first few days of last year when Dad had made the "transition" and we knew the time was getting close. The memories came back so strong and vivid.

Tonight I decided to post a few pics of my dad. It made me smile to look back through the files at these photos. Some of them I remember well and some, not so much. My dad was a great guy who loved his family. He was quite a storyteller and had a fabulous memory. He enjoyed driving and loved a good road trip. The last road trip I took with him was when Mom, T, Dad and I went to Mount Rushmore in July 2010. It was squishy back there in the back seat of the Dodge truck, but I'm sure glad we got to go.

Anyway, here are some pics:

I took this one in August 2011. We are in California at a restaurant, but I don't remember if there was an occasion or if we were just out for food. 

March 2008 in the suite at a Jazz game. I'm not sure why he has this expression on his face, but I like it!

April 2008. He's either telling T a story about the USS Midway or telling him to calm down :)

July 2010. This is one of my most favorite photos of Dad. We were on the train ride between towns near Mount Rushmore. Isn't he the cutest?

There were lots more photos I could have chosen, but I had to stop. I miss him a lot.

 

#2129 happy birthday!

Today is November 19, which is a pretty great day in my book. Why? Two ladies that I love and think very highly of were born on this date!

One of the ladies is my mother-in-law, Linda. MT and I have been together since 1987 (dang!) so I've known Linda since then. She has always been super-nice to me. I'm happy to say that I like my mother-in-law. She is intelligent, fun, and down-to-earth. I'm always glad to see her. We've been on vacation together a few times and she is always pleasant to be around.

Here's a photo of us from the last vacation we took together, when we went to the Outer Banks.

MT, Linda and I went out for a walk on the beach. I think it was the second day we were there and the tide was very strong. We were at the tail end of a hurricane (could have been Hurricane Maria), so we were looking at the grey sky and the angry ocean. I don't have many pictures of the three of us. I really like this one.

Happy birthday Linda! Thanks for being so cool.

The other person who I love and adore who is celebrating a birthday today is my little sister Lizzie. She is just the very coolest, smartest, funniest, bestes person I know. Spending time with her makes me happy. I'm sad that we live far apart, but it makes the days when we are together even better. We have done a good job of spending time together in recent years and I totally love it. We've gone on trips and spent time at each other's houses. It's pretty wonderful to be able to say that your sister is also your friend. I'm pretty dang lucky.

Here is a photo of us on that same trip to the Outer Banks.

About these shirts...we had gone into town (Corolla) for a big family lunch. While our table was being set up, Lizzie and I wandered into a shop near the restaurant and saw these shirts. As you can see, they are BRIGHT pink and they say "I can't remember if I'm the good Sister or the evil one."

We laughed at the saying, and we laughed extra hard at the capitalization of Sister. Is this shirt meant for a nun?

Another point about this photo is that it was taken the day after an epic bout of day drinking. Lizzie and I spent the previous day drinking all manner of adult beverages out by the pool, then we staggered down the boardwalk to the beach where Lizzie braved the currents of the Atlantic Ocean (the only one of us who did!). Then we danced our faces off on the boardwalk. In my case, I literally danced my face off because I took a drunken tumble right into the handrail of said boardwalk. If you click on the pic, you can see an owie on my lip. Also a serious case of raccoon eyes.

The point is that Lizzie was there with me the whole time, wiping the blood off my lip and dancing with crazy abandon and then helping me get to my room so I could pass out. Like I said, she's the best.

Lizzie, I can't wait to see you next month for another adventure! Happy birthday! I love you!!!

#2079 three things: car update, happy anniversary and don't sit on your tail

1. Car update. The Toyota's claim has now been turned over to the Total Loss Team at the insurance company. The rental car period has been extended and I'm waiting to hear from the new adjuster about the settlement figure. I expect I'll hear something next week. I've been spending a little bit of time online looking at cars (I will sell Ford to T and buy myself something newer). It's a timing thing, at this point. I don't want to find a car and love it and not be able to make on offer on it because the insurance claim isn't settled. Got my eyes open, though.

2. 25 YEARS! Yesterday MT and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Holy schmoley! That's a long time!! We've been married for 25 years, and we lived together for about five years before we ever said "I do". He sent a beautiful bouquet of roses and daisies to me at my office, which made me feel special and think that I should always have flowers on my desk. Last night we went out for dinner to Market Street Grill in Cottonwood. We had a lovely dinner with all the courses and some sparkling wine (prosecco since they didn't have cava). The service was great and we had an enjoyable evening.

3. You're probably doing that wrong. Sitting, I mean. There has been so much talk over the past several years about how Americans sit down more than the rest of the world. I bought in. I got a stand-up desk at work and I happen to like it just fine. Then I heard that NPR had a story about how people are sitting incorrectly and that is what is causing back pain that people complain about. Lizzie and I were talking about it on Monday night, so I had to look up the story. Click here to read it. And then practice letting your tail wag when you sit down. I will be!

#1972 who inspires you?

Earlier this year I bought myself a little book from Amazon called Q&A a Day 5 Year Journal.

It has been a fun little book. I do mostly write in it every day, unless I forget, like I did over the Thanksgiving break. Some of the questions are easy, some are more thought-provoking, sometimes the response is to fill in the blank. Today's question was "Who inspires you?" I thought about it for a minute and I actually came up with three people who inspire me. I decided to share my response here because I know that all three people read this little corner of the internet. Maybe this isn't the right place to share this answer, but then again maybe it is the best place. When I wrote my answer in the book and I read back over it, I just thought that these people should know that I feel this way about them, so here it is.

Who inspires you?

My dad, for his will and determination.

My mom, for her ability to adapt and cope.

My sister, for her independence, her kindness and her courage. 

My dad has been ill for several years. He has some serious medical issues that have put him in the hospital several times including having to undergo a couple of surgeries. The first surgery wound up being a life-changer for both of my parents. The surgery made my dad dependent on my mom's care, and turned my mom into a full-time care-giver well before she probably ever expected to be one.

After that first operation, when the surgeon came out into the waiting area to tell my mom, my sister and I about the surgery, I really felt that he was preparing us for the worst - for the possibility that my dad would not survive. It was a tense and frightening time and though it was a struggle, Dad pulled through. He's had some ups and downs since then, but he is a tough ol' bugger. He seems determined to make the best of his situation. His will to, well, live, is inspiring.

I think of how just a week ago or so I was writing that I wouldn't survive a zombie apocalypse because a little cold slays me. Since then I have often thought of my dad and his inner strength, will and determination. He's been through so much worse than a little cold and is still kicking. He's amazing.

Mom grew up in Barcelona, Spain. She married fairly young and moved to a small farming community in northern California. Not exactly Hollywood or Malibu that she may have dreamed about as a young woman. Soon enough there was a baby and a move to an even smaller farming community in southeastern Idaho, of all places. Another baby came along and another move to another farming community in southeastern Idaho. She stayed home with us kids until we were old enough to take care of ourselves a little bit. She learned to drive, got a teaching degree and had a remarkable career as a kindergarten teacher in Idaho and then in southern California. She had just retired when Dad got sick, and as I mentioned, the surgery turned her into a full-time care-giver. It hasn't been easy, I know. I expect that both of my parents were hoping and planning to do some traveling in their retirement, but things happen and circumstances change.

I know that these last few years have been hard on her, for different reasons than they've been hard on Dad, but certainly no less difficult. Mom has had to take on some medical responsibilities for my Dad that I'm sure she never in her wildest dreams imagined she would have to do. She's actually an expert on his care; when Dad has to go to the hospital, none of the nurses know how to take care of his wound. Over the years Mom has pretty much perfected the technique for caring for Dad's particular wound. Both of my parents had settled into a comfortable routine prior to Dad's illness and that routine has gone right out the window. They definitely have a new routine now.

I'm inspired by my mom because through it all, she has adapted to the changes in her life and somehow copes. I know that sometimes she feels sad and anxious and maybe a little depressed about the situation. Who wouldn't? I admire her resilience and patience - yes, Mom, your patience. You demonstrated patience through 20 plus years of teaching five year old kids, and you show patience now with Dad and medical professionals and insurance companies and life.

Finally, there's my sister. About a year and a half ago, she made the decision to end a long-term relationship. That seems like it would be a scary thing to do and I know she did not make the decision lightly or without spending a lot of time making sure it was the right thing for her. She completely changed her living situation by moving into an apartment in downtown San Diego, a city she had lived in for many years, but with a very different lifestyle and home environment. In the past year, I have watched her blossom as she came back into herself, in a manner of speaking. Most people who are in relationships tend to lose a part of themselves to that relationship, and Lizzie had the courage to find herself again, to figure out what she enjoys and to do it. Through it all, she has shown kindness and compassion to her ex and has also nurtured beautiful relationships with friends. She is an amazing daughter who takes time at least once a month to go up to our parent's house to visit with them and to try to help where she can. I'm inspired by the courage that Lizzie showed in ending the relationship. I'm inspired by her independence: to live a lifestyle that she chose and that she enjoys. I'm definitely inspired by her kindness and compassion for our parents and for the friendships she has formed with "her tribe". It's a beautiful thing to see.

Mom, Dad and Lizzie, I love you all so much. I miss you every day. Thank you for inspiring me to be a better wife, mother and friend.