Buggy camping

Thursday, August 5th.

My last day of work at Oro Valley Hospital was Tuesday. I had worked there for 6 years. I was part of the team that opened the hospital, working out of trailers in the fields behind the hospital. It was a great experience, but like most everything in life, there were many changes, not all good. A great opportunity came my way at another hospital in town, Tucson Medical Center.
I begin my new job August 16th, so I am going to relax a bit before then.

This morning, me, Ken and Justen left for Ponderosa Campground, just a few miles east of Payson. It’s a beautiful pine tree filled park. We took the girls there last year about this time. They loved it….that makes me miss them so much just talking about it.

We slept in, relaxed on the front porch drinking our coffee, took showers, finished packing the RV and left. We had to stop and get gas and at Wal-Mart for some kind of adapter. We grabbed some egg mcmuffins and juice and left.

We headed up Route 77/79, then cut off towards Florence, took 60 west to 87 north. It is a beautiful drive past the Salt River, Saguaro Lake and through the desert. The desert is very green right now just from the little bit of monsoons we have had.

We have the IPod shuffle on and Justen has his headphones on listening to his music. It’s supposed to be in the low to mid 80s during the day and low 60s at night. That will be so nice. It was 110 when we drove through Apache Junction and Mesa.

I’m looking at the puffy clouds trying to see things in them. It seems like I always see a dog, usually a poodle. I see one that looks like a baby lying on its back, kicking its legs.
We are driving through the small town of Rye and I see a sign: Pete’s Place Topless Cabaret…..strange.
‘Brown Eyed Girl’ by Van Morrison is playing. For the rest of my life, every time I hear this song, I think of Lacey Peterson, murdered by her husband Scott when she was pregnant with their son Conner. This was her favorite song.

We arrived in Payson around 2 PM. We set up camp, I fixed sandwiches and we basically relaxed…read our books.
I discovered I had forgotten a few things,,,,garbage bags, mayo and Ken had to return a fuel filter he had picked up…they gave him the wrong one so we drove into Payson about a 15 minute drive.

When we returned to camp Justen was still reading his book, a Harlan Coban novel.
For dinner we grilled corn on the cob and pork tenderloin; brownies and ice cream for dessert. It was still warm, in the 80’s and 84 inside the RV, so we turned on the generator to use the air conditioner to cool it down a bit. When we went to bed, we turned the generator off and opened the windows. During the night it got really cool…...61 degrees and had to put a blanket on.

Friday, August 6th
I’m not sure what time Ken got up, but I woke up about 7:45. Justen was just waking up too. We had coffee, bacon and eggs with green chili peppers and Swiss cheese. It’s going to be a lazy day. We took showers, cleaned up and read books. We bought these great lounge chairs that lean way back and lift and support your legs.

Ken and I took a walk around the campground. There are not many people here but this is Friday, so it will probably get more crowded later on. I can’t walk too far because my foot is hurting pretty bad. It’s the one I had bunion surgery on 3 years ago. It hurts from time to time but last Saturday it started hurting really bad. I had an x-ray which didn’t show anything so next Tuesday I am having a bone scan.

We came back to camp and it is 86 in the RV, and we are sweating so we turn on the air. I know, I know, this is not really camping but the fact is I don’t like “real” camping where you have to be uncomfortable, sweating with bugs flying around your sweaty face, flies biting you, pretending like you are having fun. I like the comfort of the RV, surrounded by beautiful nature. When it cools down this evening, I will go back outside, but for now, I think I’ll read my book “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; maybe take a nap.

Ken and I took a nap; I think Justen was reading his book. After our nap it was a bit cooler outside so we turned the air off. I built a huge fire. Other campers were arriving. An old couple pulled in next to us with an old beat up looking trailer. His name was BJ; he had a long white pony tail and wore overalls. No one can remember her name. They were bragging that they camp all over the country, parking their trailer in Walmart, Kmart, church, hospital parking lots so they don’t have to pay. Paying for their spot next to us was a ‘treat’, something they rarely do. That just sounds terrible to me.
We had grilled salmon, asparagus and rice for dinner. After dinner Ken and I sat outside by the fire and it started to rain. We started the generator to turn on the air again so it will be cool for sleeping. The generator went off after a few minutes. Ken initially thought the rain may have shorted something out. After he looked at it, he realized it had ran out of gas. He asked Justen to help him put some gas in it. It was dark, raining and the generator was sitting in a weedy area. After a few minutes, Justen came back in complaining that some ants had attached him, bugs had bit him; he said it was awful. I was laughing. He absolutely hates camping. He said he does not understand camping. He said way back in the 1400s man realized he needed shelter and now in modern times man subjects himself to camping. There were more bugs after the rain, I have to admit.
We also thought it was going to be a lot cooler here. Last year we were here in August and we were wearing jackets. No so much this year.
We read for a little and then went to bed. I had a little trouble falling asleep as I felt kind of ‘buggy’ too.

Saturday, August 7th
Ken woke us up around 8 am. It’s cloudy today, looks like rain. We drank coffee by the fire and it started to drizzle. We decided to pack up and go home today instead of tomorrow. Probably a good decision because it has continued to lightly rain.
We took our time loading up and stopped at ‘Tiny’s’ in Payson. It was just OK. Justen and I had Denver omelets and Ken had a burger and fries. Justen is going through sports withdrawal, so we are listening to ESPN sports on the radio on the drive home.
I’m stretched out in the back seat; I’m going to read my book.
Just as we get to Bush Highway, the truck starts to rattle a bit. Ken pulls over and we have blown a tire on the RV. Now Ken and Justen are changing the tire. It’s probably about 100 degrees out there.
Back on the road in no time.

We got home, unpacked the RV and watched some baseball. Since we didn't make any s'mores, Ken turned on the grill and we had s'mores for dinner. :)

CHANGE

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better…King Whitney Jr.

I am making a big change. I have accepted another position at a different hospital here in Tucson, Tucson Medical Center. When I was first hired at Oro Valley Hospital in July, 2004 the construction was not finished. We worked out of trailers out in the fields behind the hospital. It was an exciting time, working with a few wonderful people, opening a hospital. I have learned so much; have seen dozens of people come and go; but I will always remember this experience as one my best. It is now time to move on, learn something new, challenge myself, meet new people. Am I scared? Yes...excited? Yes....  But without taking risks, we never grow. I will be relaxing for a few days in the mountains, then at home before I start my new adventure, working with the Physician Electronic Medical Record.

Happy Birthday Ken and USA!!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Our flight arrived in Vegas around 9:30 am. We had a layover in LA, which was weird. We had no problems; took a taxi to Mandalay Bay and checked in early. It is a beautiful hotel. We changed in to our bathing suits and went down to the pool area (there are 6) to check things out. We had some lunch and then went swimming in the wave pool for awhile. I decided to book a massage. We called Jason and Lola had a bad night, running a little fever and threw up. She seemed to be feeling better, so we planned to see them when he got off work. Now it's time for a nap. :) We set the alarm for my massage. Ken said we don't need to set it, surely we won't sleep 2 hours. Good thing we set it!! I had my massage (which was great), Ken hung out at the pool.


After my massage, I joined Ken at the pool. We decided to look for a shady area that we can bring the girls to tomorrow. It's 100 degrees and sunny and we know we will need some shade. They have cabanas for rent, but they are all booked the entire weekend. They do get cancellations, so they tell us to check back each morning. They won't give you a price (except they start at $ 250) because the price changes based on supply and demand. They anticipate that on Saturday and Sunday they will go for at least $ 1000 per day. I don't think we will be doing that. We can be more creative than paying that....we WILL find shade. I have a raspberry mojito, Ken has a beer, then we call Jason. He will pick us up at 6 and we will stop to get pizza to take to his house.


We went back to our room to freshen up. Our room is on the 30th floor and offers a beautiful view of the pool areas. It's easy from here to look for a shaded area. We see an area by the lazy river and decide that is where we will go on Saturday and Sunday. Tomorrow the girls are not coming until 1 PM, so we won't stake out a place; not really right to 'save' a place when you're not going to be there.


Jason picks us up and we pick up the pizza, salad and some frozen custard. The girls greet us in the driveway..it's so good to see them. We haven't seen Lola in 5 months. She has grown but mainly it's her vocabulary that is so more advanced. It's great to be together....both girls asked where Justen is? They assumed he would be with us.


We had a nice evening, catching up, playing with the girls. Lola kept saying, 'come on GeeGee, let's play'. We'd go up to her room and get her toys out. She is much like Josh was...most of her toys are broken. When Josh was born, I still had all of Justen and Jason's toys, neatly packed away, most of them in great condition. As Josh grew and I brought out age appropriate toys, he would quickly have them destroyed. Lola broke one of the Hippos in 'Hungry Hungry Hippo' so we played with 3 :)


April is taking Bella and Lola to the movies tomorrow morning before they come over to our hotel. Bella has her outfit laying out and wants me to help her pick out some jewelry and shoes to match. I love doing this with her...it makes me feel so happy to be a grandma.


We sit outside for awhile and chat before we head back to Mandalay.


Friday, July 2, 2010


We slept in until around 7:30. We went down to get a latte at Starbucks, but the line was so long, we decided to get breakfast at 'Red, White and Blue restaurant' in the Mandalay resort. We'll get our lattes there. Breakfast was good: ham, mushroom, Swiss cheese omelet, home fries, (we shared), OJ and lattes.


We went back to the room and put our bathing suits on and head to the pools. We hung out at the wave pool until it was time to meet April and the girls. We meet them in the lobby and they are so excited. We go up to the room to get them changed. They have to take turns hitting the elevator button and using the key card to the room.


We lather them up with sunscreen and head downstairs. We find a few good lounges right near the beach. The girls are hungry, so Bella and I go to the grill to get something to eat. Service is very slow and it is hot. We take the food back to the lounges and we eat right near the beach. Lola saw other kids with 'floaties' including a 'turtle floatie'. She had a turtle floaty when we lived at the condo and she thinks we still have it. I told her her daddy would go to Walmart and get her a turtle floaty for tomorrow. She accepts that, but asks me many, many times, if her daddy is going to Walmart to get her a floaty. :)

After a couple hours, it is getting hot, so we go back to the room, take baths/showers and take a rest. The girls insist on putting their 'jammies' on. Pops 'rough houses' with the girls and then we watch a 'Scooby Doo' movie. There are not a lot of choices.

For dinner we went to StripSteak. It was excellent. Bella had: duck, crispy thigh, duck egg with bacon. I had lettuce cups with Crab Louie and avocado. Ken had Grilled halibut and classic baked potatoes. Lola had some french fries and strawberry sorbet.

After dinner as we were walking around, we saw Jason. He is meeting April and some friends for an evening out. Lola reminds him that she is staying with us. :)
We went back to the room and went to sleep pretty early. Everyone was worn out.

Saturday, July 3, 2010
We plan to get an early start. The pool opens at 8 am, it's Saturday and a holiday weekend. We wake up with 1/2 hour to spare, so we quickly wake the girls, dress them in bathing suits, grab our stuff and head to the pool. We happily find lounges right next to the lazy river. There is sun now but soon it will be shade and have shade for the rest of the day. I love how Ken can look up in the sky and determine this. We lay our towels and bags down and head to 'Red, White and Blue' for breakfast. Bella gets a banana nut muffin, OJ, Lola gets a blueberry muffin, OJ and we order bacon for them. Ken and I split an omelet again.
After breakfast we head to the pools. I call Jason to remind him to bring 'turtle floaty' as well as some tubes for the lazy river. The hotel does not provide them.
Jason and April arrive with lots of 'fun' tubes and of course Lola's floaty! We have a wonderful day...down the lazy river, in the wave pool. We take a break and have a wonderful lunch at the grill. The service is slow, but that is good. It gives you time to relax and cool off.

Justen has called and he decides to join us in Las Vegas for the rest of the weekend. Andy and Cara are heading up to visit her mom in Vegas and Justen will join them. They won't arrive till later but we will have all day Sunday to celebrate Ken's Birthday and the USA's B-day!
After a full day, we head up to the room with girls to get cleaned up; Jason and April head home. They will come back at 6pm to pick us up to go to dinner. We went to 'Brio's', a wonderful Italian restaurant. Everything was delicious! They drop the girls and us off at Mandalay. They are going out with Justen and Andy tonight.
We have fun in the room, wrestling with Pops, playing with the floats; but everyone is worn out so we go to sleep pretty quickly. As Lola is laying down to sleep, she says to me: how many sand castles are we going to build tomorrow? Wow, that kind of says it all, doesn't it...the joy of being a kid, wondering how many sand castles you are going to build the next day....I go to sleep wondering myself..

Sunday, July 4, 2010
We sleep later that expected and we have to rush. Today is going to be the busiest day; we want to get the same chairs in the shade, so we wake up two weary girls and rush down to the pools. We have success, put our stuff on the chairs and go for breakfast. We decide to go to Starbucks. We get muffins, OJ and lattes.
We head to the pool. Jason, April, Justen and Andy show up and we have lots of fun. The girls are worn out and April decides to take them home for a nap. The fireworks don't begin until 9PM so if they are going to survive, they need some rest.

We have lunch at a Mexican restaurant near the pool. I decide to go to the room and take a nap, while Ken hangs out with Jason, Justen and Andy. Later Andy and Jason go home and Ken and Justen came up to shower.
We decide to have dinner at the China Grill in Mandalay. We don't want to miss the fireworks so we want to stay close.

Dinner was wonderful. Right at 9 pm, we go to the beach and the fireworks started. They set them off in the pool, so we are really close. I've never been so close to fireworks. It was so fun! As we were walking out to the beach, Ken and I were at the back, Justen was holding Lola, Jason, April, Bella were ahead of them. Ken says, 'this is the best birthday present I could ask for'.
Look at Lola's face...she is in awe of the fireworks.

We said goodnight....Justen stayed with us, the girls went home.

Monday, July 5, 2010
We slept in, we got a late checkout since our flight does not leave until 3 PM.
We had breakfast at 'Red, White and Blue' one last time. We relaxed in the room until it was time for Jason to pick us up. Bella was flying back with us to Tucson. She was going to visit her Dad for a few weeks before school starts. She will be going to school in Vegas. When Jason picked us up, Lola kept saying 'I'm going to the airport with you GeeGee'. What she meant was, 'I'm going on the airplane with you GeeGee'. It was so sad. As we got to the airport and it was time to get out of the car, she began crying. It about tore my heart out. Justen held her and we quickly left. I'm sure she didn't understand why Bella got to go and she did not.
It was a wonderful weekend...great family time. Let's make it a tradition!

Early up...

I've been so, so, so busy at work, I missed my blogging.
But tomorrow morning, I have to get up at 4 am to go with my wonderful husband to the airport to fly to Vegas. We are going to visit our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughters for the holiday weekend.
The 4th is Ken's Birthday...what a day to be born!
I love this holiday and birthday and have many, many, many memories to recall.
From before I knew him; as a kid- sparklers and snakes and hoping to see some fireworks in the sky...the sound of firecrackers even after I went to bed.
Justen's first 4th of July he was only 4 weeks old... we lived in a one bedroom apartment and the fireworks woke him up, he cried and cried. As a new mother, I was irritated about this. Any sleep we could get was precious.
Every year his mom had a barbecue for his B-day; always a cake with red, white and blue. I can still feel the humid air, dark outside, mosquitoes biting me, waiting for the first fireworks wherever we were, hoping it would hurry up and start, because I was tired, the kids were tired, but so enjoying the summer night...you never forget those nights.
Josh was literally petrified of fireworks...he would go in to a crying fit, with tremors...very traumatic.
I remember the swimming parties, laying on the lounger in our backyard, waiting for the fireworks at El Conquistador.
Every year is different, but every year is special, especially because it is my husbands birthday.. and this year we will be with family...it feels good.
Hope you all make some memories. Happy Birthday USA and Ken!

Memorial Day, San Diego

Thursday, May 27th
We left Tucson for San Diego-me,Ken, Justen, Larry and Henna for the Memorial Day Weekend Holiday. We got on the road at 6am. I made homemade apple strudel and we also had Bob Evans breakfast sandwiches (not so good) for the road. I read magazines for awhile, Justen watched DVDs, Ken had the Ipod going. I was in the back seat of the truck so I could stretch out. It's a beautiful day~good to have Justen along. Stopped for gas in Yuma. The drive went fast, uneventful. Most of the time I was reading my book-"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society". It is very good-it's about the German Invasion of the island of Guernsey during WWII. It's amazing how much there is to know about WWII. I think I know a lot but probably not. We arrived in Chula Vista a 2 pm. We were all hungry so we made sandwiches and sat outside. We love this RV park. It sits on the bay between Coronado and Chula Vista. After lunch Henna and I took a walk along the bay, stopped at a restaurant and had a drink. Back to the RV park, sat outside and had some of Larry's  green chili and chips, wine, talked and laughed. For dinner (wow-we eat often!) we had grilled chicken and steamed broccoli, apple strudel for dessert. After dinner we sat around our gas heater for awhile (gotta love San Diego weather) and then went to bed. Justen watched TV for awhile; Larry hooked up his satellite to our RV so Justen could watch the basketball playoffs. We had cable from the RV park, but it only has a few basic channels.
Friday, May 28th
Up about 7:30, we had coffee, then breakfast outside: eggs, ham, hash browns, OJ, toast. Ken and I took a bike ride around the park, took showers. We skyped Josh to see if he wants to join us on the Jan 2011 cruise to Cabo. Everyone (Justen, Uncle Don, Jason, April, Bella, Lola) is going. We met Eduardo for the first time. It felt good to do that..it really did. Ken was outside and didn't know we were talking to them, so I told him to come in and meet Eduardo; he did and I'm sure he felt good too. Good steps...
They will need to check with work, but they are hopeful! Can you imagine.....our whole family together for the first time...in, well, I can't remember and I only want to think of the future.
As we were leaving the RV park to go to the Zoo, April called, very upset saying Jason is on his way to the doctor. He had a physical (with blood work done) the day before (routine although he had an ear infection). The Doctor's office called and wanted to see him immediately. The only thing I could think of was cholesterol or white blood cells, but it all sounded so weird. My stomach immediately felt sick. I called Jason and asked him to call me as soon as he was finished at the Doctor. After we arrived at the Zoo, he called about 30 minutes later....and it was his cholesterol, which is (I think 208). The Doctor actually was surprised to see him; the urgency was the result of an over zealous receptionist that wanted to fill the appointment slot. Wow...what a relief, but he does need to watch his diet and exercise. High cholesterol runs in my family.

We got back to the RV park around 2:30. We had some snacks and Justen made some Raspberry, Mint Mojitos. Yum! Then it was time to get ready for the Padres game. Larry and Henna did not go. We went early and ate at a wonderful restaurant, "Soleil". We sat outside on the sidewalk; it was fun to watch the people walking by on their way to the game. We had appetizers: Lobster Tempura with mushroom risotto, shrimp/avocado flat bread. For dinner Justen had skirt steak and Ken and I shared grilled mahi. Everything was delicious. We arrived in Petco just as they were singing the National Anthem. Our seats (Stubhub) were great, row 12 behind home plate. The park is so nice. I was cold, it was around 65 degrees; I had my jean jacket on, but I was still cold. I went to buy a sweatshirt and the cheapest I could find, was $91; I was not going to pay that much!! The Padres lost after loading the bases in the 9th. I had a nice time with Justen and Ken. We got back to the RV around 10:30, read a little.

Saturday, May 29th

Ken woke up around 6:30; he never sleeps in when we travel. After another hearty breakfast, Larry and Ken went fishing. I napped ( I know, pathetic) and then when they returned, we loaded up to go to the beach. It was cool, but so beautiful. We all relaxed, some snoozed, some read, and some sun bathed. Henna was absolutely freezing, so I took care of her. Notice her bundle of towels; and right next to her, Ken and Justen shirtless; it's hard to imagine that she is from Scotland!

The water was freezing; Justen and Ken were brave enough to try it out; only their feet and then retreated. Back to the RV; time for a little lunch. Ken and I took a bike ride and soon it was time for happy hour. Tonight is Henna's turn for dinner (we take turns). We had grilled pork roast, peas and artichoke hearts, and fingerling potatoes. After a wonderful dinner, it was a bit windy so we retreated to our RV. Justen watched TV and Ken and I read our books.

Sunday, May 30th

Our last day. We had another great breakfast. This day, we had no definite plans. We lounged, rode bikes, took walks, napped, then Henna and I went shopping. She wanted to find a Trader Joe's, so Justen found one for us in Eastlake, a cute little town about 25 minutes east. The shopping area had lots of outdoor eating areas, ponds, lots of flowers and trees. We had a latte, went to Borders, Trader Joe's and the grocery. When we got back to the RV park, we all sat around and read books; Justen watched sports.

Tonight is my turn for dinner. I am making Shrimp Tostados: fresh grilled shrimp combined with a mixture of olive oil, mayo, serrano chilis, garlic, minced red onion, diced roma tomatoes, cilantro, lime zest and lime juice. Place fresh avocado slices on top of the tostado, add a generous helping of the shrimp mixture, add cheese and sour cream. So yummy. The original recipes calls for fresh crab instead of shrimp. I have not tried it with crab, although I have tried it with grilled mahi....my favorite.

We had a nice evening together. We have to leave tomorrow. Originally we planned to stay until Tuesday, but I have to get back to leave for a business trip to Chicago.

I am jealous of Larry and Henna. They are heading up the coast, all the way to Washington. Their next stop is Pismo Beach, which I love! They will be gone until August. After Washington, they will head to Colorado.

Our drive home was uneventful; I got dropped off in Phoenix since my flight leaves from there early in the morning. It was a great trip, never long enough. You don't want to wish your life away, but how nice to take the whole summer to get out of the heat of Tucson and explore the country!

Weekend Words

Had a nice time visiting Uncle Friday night. Annie and Bobbie and Larry were there. Henna is in Denver with her grand kids. We took Italian Sausages and brats for the grill, cole slaw and chips. We take enough for leftovers since he does not cook. He so looks forward to us coming over. Fridays have to be difficult for him. He told Ken that twice this week he 'forgot' that Aunt was gone. One was he came home from working in the park, walked in the house and said, 'I'm home'.....the second one was he was sitting outside and saw a quail family, the first of the season---dad, mom and 8 little babies looking like ping pong balls....he got up, ran in to the house to tell Aunt......and then he realized.
Bella took her gecko 'Leo' to Uncle's.

After we got home, Bella and Justen took a walk with flashlights; then time for bubble bath, reading and bed. Bella had to leave early (9am) on Saturday morning so she had a quick breakfast of hash browns, bacon, OJ and strawberries with whipped cream. Hopefully we will get to see her once more this week...she wants to go to 'Sauce' before she heads to Las Vegas.

Now the weekend is almost over...I have that feeling that I hate....like I have to hurry to do a few more things that I wanted to do...not wanting the weekend to end. Still have time for grilled chicken and a nice glass of wine outside.

Bello Boo

Bella is coming over tonight because it's Friday night and we love our routine of her spending Friday night and Saturday morning/afternoon with us. But as life is...this is about to change :( :(
School gets out next Thursday and she will be moving to Las Vegas to join her mom, Jason and Lola. I'm sure they are very excited about this........but me, Ken and Justen will miss her tremendously. Justen and her have bonded and it is great to see. Pops (Ken) picking her up from school, hikes at Catalina State Park to look for creatures, Bella's zoo (bugs, frogs and her gecko) in our garage/backyard, Cheese Puffs, watering my flowers, feeding the birds at Uncle Don's, Justen and her exploring the hill behind Uncle's,  painting and crafts with GeeGee (me), bubble baths, hot chocolate with whipped cream - please, old fashioned oatmeal with sugar, real cream and milk, not too hot - please,,,,,,,,,,,,,I could go on and on. She is a special girl and we will miss our routine...a lot. But, we hope to get up to Vegas to visit and also see her when she comes to visit her Dad here in Tucson.
Life always changes folks.....enjoy each moment like it is your last.....

I loved yesterday

I have to be honest....I don't always love Mother's Day. Oh, I loved it when the boys were little and they would make the wonderful homemade cards. Kenny would 'help them' make breakfast for me. We would usually spend the day with Ken's mom, MaMoo( as the boys called her).
As I have gotten older the day has always seemed to build up too much emotion for me. I seem to dwell on how things used to be when my sons were younger and we were all together. Oh, I know, life goes on but that's my point...this day brings all the memories back and the way it used to be.
I recently heard a story about someone's grandma who in her last years could not listen to "White Christmas". It brought back too many memories; her husband was gone, her sisters and brothers were gone. It just became too sad. I understand that.
Anyway, I did have a great day. Bella had spent the night so waking up with a young child is always so fun. She wakes up a bit slowly...only a bit...after about 2 minutes she is wide awake and ready to go; cheerful, happy, full of excitement.
We 'skyped' Josh in Prague and we had a great time together. He looks great. It was so fun to see him. Bella called her mom to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. Jason called to wish me a Happy Mother's day. And about 3 PM, Justen, Ken and I had a wonderful lunch/dinner at Wildflower 
I started with a Blooming Daisy: Belvedere Vodka, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, raspberries....so fresh! Our appetizer: Grilled artichoke with sea salt and Paris mustard aioli. I had Grilled Alaskan Halibut with polenta and artichokes, Ken had Scallops and Justen had fish too...but can't remember what kind. Everything was so delicious and we shared so we could taste everything. For dessert we had apple tarts with vanilla gelato and a brownie with caramel custard and vanilla gelato. :)
I called my mom in Ohio to wish her a happy Mother's Day. Dad has Alzheimer's and it is getting pretty rough for her to take care of him.
It was definitely a good day.....not too emotional. Just a lesson for anyone who needs to hear it....mom's just want to know you love them on Mother's Day; don't need presents, just need to know we matter to our children.

Kind of speechless

Uncle Don is doing great. He is choosing to live life and not let Aunt Loraine's death stop this. We called him to ask him to join us for an early dinner at 'Chuy's'. He enthusiastically said 'Yes". He had a great time, very talkative, telling me everything he has accomplished: legal issues, around the house, etc. He even got his passport renewed! Ken and he are going to plan a trip to Roswell, New Mexico. The whole ‘alien’ thing fascinates him. :)


Anyway, while we were at 'Chuy's', I saw a man.........an incredible man........he had two prosthetic legs, one prosthetic arm, and the other arm stopped at the elbow. He was with a pretty girl and he was moving around the restaurant faster (no limp) than I move. It kind of took my breath away. I would say he was in his late 30's. Certainly, I do not know how he became this way, but one would think perhaps he was in the war. If he was, what a huge reminder of what our military does for us........if he was not, he still is an amazing inspiration to the human spirit. My gosh, can you imagine just for one minute............


After we got home, Justen and Ken wanted to watch episode 8 of the HBO series 'Pacific'. It is incredible but I almost have to prepare my emotions (if it can even be done) to watch it. It is so sobering, so..........see I am at a loss for words. How many alive today have ANY idea what these boys went through. When I think of WWII vets, I see my Uncle Don, who is 83, I see the vets on TV narrating some of the story, and I see the vets in a parade or memorial service, all old men. It is natural and simple to forget that they were younger than my youngest son, babies really. I always end up crying and feeling so grateful for what they sacrificed, yet it seems so, so tiny. How do you express it.............
Kind of speechless

BUSY WEEKEND

Usually Friday is my favorite day of the week, which says a lot about how the anticipation of something is at times more important than the event, because I do work on Fridays....but it's so nice to look forward to the weekend.

But, first a word about Aunt Loraine's funeral. It was held at the Funeral Home in Oro Valley. Her daughter Carol had gathered pictures from Aunt Loraine's life and the Funeral Home scanned them and made a slide show. Carol's husband Brad selected the music. It was really nice to see her life in pictures. If you knew her, you know she was really pretty and there were some beautiful pictures of her and Uncle Don. They made quite the beautiful couple.
The majority of the people at the service were friends of ours that have made friends with Aunt Loraine and Uncle Don over the 9 years that they have been here. It meant a lot to see them supporting us. Uncle volunteers at Catalina State Park 3 days a week and many of the volunteers and employees attended. One guy got up to speak about Aunt Loraine saying how much he enjoyed her smile.
There were also friends from their Wednesday night "Applebee's" group. They have been meeting every week for years.
There was also neighbors and church members. Our friend Mary Strzalka got up and shared a nice story about Aunt Loraine.
Afterwards there were some refreshments and a time to chat with everyone. I think Uncle enjoyed it (as much as you can).
Friday nights have been 'Happy Hour' at Uncle's for years. Aunt always supplied the snacks and drinks and we enjoyed sitting outside on their patio. Bella and Lola always enjoyed feeding the birds, watering the flowers; Lola loved to dance to the singing bass fish that hangs in the garage. She'd say "come on GeeGee" and start dancing. We will miss all of this, but we won't let it go away completely. Tonight, me, Ken, Bella, Justen and many of our friends are going to Uncle's for 'Happy Hour'. We'll be taking the snacks and perhaps a few drinks to try to keep it going. Things change, but the joys of life will continue.

Tomorrow morning I will help Carol go through Aunt Loraine's clothes/things and pack up what she doesn't want. Not something I'm looking forward to, but I will make it as positive as possible. Sometimes you find out things you never knew about the person. It happened to my mom, me and my sister when we went through my grandmother's things. That's a long story but some shocking information.

On Sunday, I have to come in to work for a Computer Downtime at 5 AM. Not being a morning person, not looking forward to it. Maybe I can take a nap later.
But tonight will be fun...Bella is spending the night and I love spending time with her. I'm hoping I have enough time to make homemade blueberry muffins.

One day at a time

It's a cliche that is used so often, probably because that's truly what you do. It's all you can do. Yesterday I had the blues really bad, the achy feeling that I really think is your heart hurting, all day. My co-worker, Do, is a really kind- hearted Vietnamese guy and as soon as he walked in my office to say good morning.....I told him my aunt had died and I broke down. Probably because he is family oriented, loves to hear my stories....practically feels like he knows my family and friends.
I hadn't had time to bake Bella's cake last night; Justen and I will buy one; she doesn't care about it being homemade....that's my issue.
Bella wanted a gecko for her Birthday, so after work me, Justen, Ken and Bella are going to Pets Mart. We picked out 'Leo', purchased his home and supplies and decided to stop by Uncle's. Ken had spoken to him earlier in the day and he was just OK and wasn't sure if he was coming over.
Ken had told Bella about Aunt Loraine when he picked her up from school. When we arrived at Uncle's she went to him and hugged him; told him she was sorry about Aunt Loraine. His tears came and he asked her to feed the birds. He cut some carrots for the rabbits.....routine feels good....but oh, it's so different without Aunt. Bella asks, where are the snacks? I explain, Aunt always put the snacks out and we can get some snacks when we get home.
Uncle agrees to come over for a burger and a beer. :)
It all feels so different; I'm going through the motions....I don't have to get the vodka out. I'm reminded of her absence over and over...the little things....I now have an extra hamburger....I don't want Uncle to see it. Usually Uncle would be out on the back patio, but he sits inside. After I do some prep for dinner, I sit with him. He tells me about his day. Going to the funeral home, making many, many calls. He said he was concerned about coming over because he didn't want to cry in front of Bella. He even spoke to his pastor about it and his pastor said no...it's good for children to learn about and see grief.
Bella kept saying she missed Aunt Loraine....she said she was so nice.
Uncle had not eaten since the breakfast he had yesterday with Aunt Loraine. He said it never occurred to him to eat.
I was glad he ate his whole hamburger. We lit the candles on Bella's cake, sang Happy Birthday. Then, time to open presents. As she opened the gifts from Aunt and Uncle, I told her that Aunt Loraine selected them for her yesterday. She folded her hands together in prayer formation and looked up to heaven and said, 'Thank you'. It was so sweet.

Bella making a wish

Bella and 'Leo'

Uncle stayed for a while and then said he wanted to go home. I was so glad he came. The best part is, he is talking openly about what he is going through...so healthy.
His daughter, Carol and her husband Brad are arriving tonight from Cleveland. Ken is picking them up now.
I think the funeral is Tuesday night at 6 PM, but that is not for sure.

Dear Hilarious Aunt Loraine.....we miss you already

Uncle Don and Aunt Loraine

Tax day. Aunt Loraine woke up feeling good. Not that she had been sick, but she has not been as active and wasn't getting out much. She slept late many days, which I plan on doing when I am 78!! She even wanted to go out for breakfast. She and Uncle Don had breakfast out and afterwards she wanted to get something else for Bella's Birthday. Uncle had already bought her a stuffed quail that makes the quail call when you press its' back. On Friday's we usually take Bella over to their house and she loves to feed the quail in their backyard.




They searched and searched for a card with the number '9' on it for her 9th Birthday. They finally found one and Aunt insisted on getting her another gift--- a variety pack that has notepads, pens and a variety of other fun stuff. They got home in time for her to watch her soaps. A while later they had 'happy hour' on the back porch; drinks, a little shrimp cocktail. It was getting to be dinnertime, so she went inside to put the chicken in the oven. She then sat down in her blue recliner. About 15 minutes later, Uncle went in to check on her, he looked over at the chair, and he knew instantly that she was gone. He said he had no doubt. He went and got a cool, wet cloth, put it to her face and said, please don't leave me, trying to wake her.......


The ambulance came and attempted to revive her....took her to the hospital....they tried to revive her, but she was already gone.


As we sat with Uncle at his house afterwards, he talked freely about the day, crying at times, laughing at times. He was concerned about Bella's Birthday party tonight. He went and got the gifts and card. He asked me, how do I sign the card Margie----just Uncle Don. I said no, sign Aunt Loraine too. A few hours before, she had picked out the card and gift. We encouraged him to come tonight, we would pick him up, take him home when he wants to go. He will let us know.


It will be lonely for him, but we plan to keep him busy.


Aunt Loraine had a wonderful sense of humor and was very witty. She would say some of the funniest unforgettable things. She was always good to my sons, and granddaughters. One thing I will never forget about her and has influenced my behavior is, she ALWAYS, ALWAYS, called me (and sometimes sent a card too) to thank me after a party/dinner at our home. She was big about writing thank you notes. It's kind of a lost etiquette and that is sad. There is so much more I could say about her life...and will at some point. I just wanted to honor her life this morning.


Please pray for Uncle Don. I think he will do fine; he has a zest for life; but my gosh, 58 years with someone and one day they aren't there anymore.

Sick day, lazy weekend

I stayed home on Friday...had a fever and sinus pressure and generally felt like I was hit by a truck. I literally stayed in bed all day. I watched "One Fine Day" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and napped. As bad as I felt, days like this are not totally miserable. Being lazy and watching movies, napping is kind of enjoyable; as long as it's temporary.

I watched a lot of sports this weekend. With Justen living with us, I am getting in to sports a lot more. We watched the Masters and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Easter!

Bella came over on Friday night. We went to Catalina State Park. Bella loves to look for bugs, tadpoles, etc. She was really hoping to find some tadpoles. I didn't think she would find any...it has been too cold lately. There is still snow on the mountain and the water running is icy cold. It is warming up though, and there were many gnats buzzing around my face which was really annoying. I absolutely abhor bugs; all of a sudden something was stinging the side of my face. I swatted it and a ugly green bug fell to the ground. Great...now I'm paranoid.
We hiked back to where the water pools, hoping to find some tadpoles, but had no luck. Justen did find a black and yellow bug for her. The hike was absolutley beautiful, very green from all the rain and flowers everywhere. I saw several photographers.
We went home, grilled hamburgers. Justen made sauteed mushrooms and onions in a butter and balsamic..it was fabulous! We had an Easter Basket for Bella. She was very happy with it and told me she loved me. She shared her mini whoppers as we watched an episode of 'Life', the one with tadpoles! Time for bed.

It was a beautiful morning. We had our coffee outside on the patio as Bella played with her bug. I made bacon and oatmeal. Soon it was time for Bella's dad to pick her up. Hugs and kisses.
Time to shop and prepare for tomorrow.
We had our friends over...Larry, Henna, Annie, Bobbie, Denny, Casey, Kim, Uncle Don and Aunt Loraine. Great time, great food, horseshoes, laughs...a beautiful day.

Menu was: Appetizers (thanks Annie and Henna), Grilled Pork Tenderloin w/sour cherry sauce, scalloped potatoes (thanks Annie), Brussel Sprout hash w/caramelized shallots, corn souffle (thanks Aunt Loraine), cole slaw, french bread, a cake log with buttercream frosting (thanks Kim)!!!