Love Hate Relationships

I hate it when I feel like I can't complete a thought. As sometimes happens, I've created many posts which sit unfinished in my saved box. I hate that. (Did I say that already?)

Other things I hate:
Getting my haircut. (That's all I'm going to say.)

Leaving on a trip and last minute packing, because I my laundry isn't finished.

My sister having a layover in Denver, spending the day with her, but not getting one, single, stinkin' picture.

Things I love:
Watching...


this little boy,


Play baseball,


Pitching like a pro,


And stopping to enjoy a bit of snow off of his baseball bat.

January 13, 2011

Today is a big day. A day of adventure, a day of good-byes. As we speak, Sarabeth is packing a few forgotten and last minute additions to her already overstuffed bag. She's rather quiet, but then so am I. We both know when the conversation turns to leaving for the airport, the good-byes will begin, & so will the tears.

Great Britian/England. My grandmother's family is from England. Living in London should cause Sarabeth to feel like she's returned to her roots.


My mom and dad drove up last week to give Sarabeth a set of hot pink luggage for her trip. They didn't want her suitcase getting lost. That happened to Lauren when she flew to France for a semester in Paris. Lauren's bag didn't arrive for 13 days. Thirteen Days! She didn't even have a change of clothing. Sarabeth took lots of extra stuff in her carry-on. Just in case her bright colored bag disappeared for a few days.

(What a creeper! Maybe not the best place to stand, lol. We stopped to take this at the airport in almost the same place as one of our pics with Christopher and Lauren when they went to korea.)

Sarabeth will visit with her British Relatives (second cousins once, or is it twice removed?) who live "across the pond." These are the children of my grandmothers first cousin. If my grandmother was alive today, we'd be celebrating her birthday. She would have been 101 years old today. Seems like an appropriate day to fly to London.

Have a wonderful Adventure, Sarabeth. We love you!

Top Ten...err..Four

Thursday's "You Capture" photography assignment was to post your top 10 photos for 2009. I started to browse through photos and pick ones that made me smile. It was fun to look back through and remember the events of the year. Sadly, for many I didn't have any great photos to mark those occasions. Lots of mediocre and not-so-good ones, but none that were outstanding.

Ethan and water go together like green grass and sunshine.


I love flowers, and orange!


The beach...no explanation needed.


I don't love these critters, but it was a fun trip to San Diego with Michael.

This years photos will be different. I believe I will take a photography class. I think I HAVE to take one. Michael bought me a new camera and I can't wait to take amazing photos. But I realize the camera alone won't produce them if the operator doesn't know how to use it. That's like buying the best oven out there, but if you don't know how to cook, a gourmet meal isn't going to magically pop out of it.

Looking Back And Forward

I was looking back at last January. I laughed when I read this on my blog:

I doubt I'll ever be a world traveler, sampling exotic foods. I won't be going to fancy shmancy restaurants to entice my taste buds with enchanting new delicacies. It isn't happening. So I can't be expected to have a clue about such culinary delights. (Remember that when dining at my home.)

In March, when we literally travel around the world, I suspect we will be sampling many exotic foods. To get an idea, I perused my son and daughter-in-laws blog. I swiped a couple pics of some dishes they've made at home in their tiny apartment.

Aren't these gorgeous?


How exciting is this? My food blog could take on a whole new look. This trip will be the adventure I never thought I'd take.

I can promise you, though, I am not nearly as courageous as Christopher & Lauren. I enjoy trying new cuisines, but I will not be taste testing all dishes.

Christopher mentioned that the eyes of these got stuck between his teeth.

I saw videos of creatures moving on sticks. They quit moving once dipped in hot oil, but I think I'll pass.


I doubt I could choke down anything with eyes either. But it will be a grand adventure!


When dining at my home, don't expect to see anything this exotic...but maybe Lauren will teach me how to make one of her creations.

Monday Morning Merriment

1. Seven hours of sleep! (Which required sleeping until 10:30 a.m.)
2. Remembering last Sunday morning. I snuggled with a sweet 8 year old, who snuck in my bed.
3. The sun is shining.
4. Slowing, sipping peppermint coffee, savoring the moment.
5. Seeing snow sparkling in the sunlight.

(And apparently I can't remember that it is 2011. I knew I'd posted this, but I didn't see it. Then I found it back in January of 2010)

A Happy New Year To You

Today is the first day of 2011. Instead of my usual recap of the previous year or a list of New Years Resolutions, I'm choosing to look ahead to what this year will bring. I am not a big planner, so was surprised to see events on the calendar.

In January:

My parents are coming to visit.

In 13 days, Sarabeth heads off to London.

My sister has a layover, so I'll get to see her.

Michael's sister arrives.

In 20 days, Michael and I fly to California to visit my other sister.

The rest of the year looks similar. Trips & getting together with family.

Why do I have the feeling that I'm about to be hit by a few curve balls also? I was never good at dodge ball, so I hope they aren't pitched too fast or too hard. I'm okay if it is a wild ride. I do enjoy rollercoasters.

Let It Snow

If the temperature is really going to drop, I say "Let it snow!" I realize other areas have experienced lots of the white stuff lately. We have not. We are in a drought from lack of snowfall. I washed my car yesterday, hoping to ensure the snow will actually fall.

In other news, Michael and I celebrated our wedding anniversary yesterday. I read that the modern day gift for the 27th is a sculpture. We didn't exchange gifts. Instead of presents for Christmas, Anniversary, & birthdays this year, we are taking a trip. We're putting on our adventure pants and flying around the world. Literally.

In an effort to make my birthday a big celebration, Michael booked our trip the day before my birthday this year. He figured it would be wonderful to be in Seoul, S. Korea with Christopher & Lauren. I'll never have another birthday quite like it. It will be my shortest birthday ever.

I noticed on the calendar, we "spring ahead" to daylight savings time at 2:00 a.m. on my birthday. I won't even notice. Just before my fellow Denverites jump ahead, losing an hour of sleep, I will have crossed several time zones and be disembarking on another continent. I will have spent the first half hour of my birthday on the airplane. The last 7 1/2 hours will be spent in Korea. My birthday will be shortened to 8 hours or 1/3 of a normal day. So I don't feel cheated, I'm not sleeping a wink on my birthday. I'm staying awake the entire 8 hours.

To make it all of the way around the world, Michael and I are flying home via London to visit Sarabeth-author of Adventure Pants. I hope when we return, I can still fit into mine.

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Except for the color of his hair,


He hasn't changed a bit, over the years.


Okay, maybe just a wee bit.


He is much more distinguished looking!

He is kinder, gentler, more tender-hearted. Like fine wine, he has mellowed with age. He is wise & compassionate, yet strong & courageous. He is level-headed & keeps his cool when faced with difficult and stressful situations. He is fun & funny. I love his sense of humor and his laugh.

To my darling, I love you! Happy 57th Birthday.

Where Are You Christmas?

Up late again last night with, "Donde Esta Santa Claus" song stuck in my head:

I know that I should be sleeping,
But maybe he's not far away,
Out of the window I'm peeping,
Hoping to see him in his sleigh.

Or maybe it was the Champagne...it had a LOT of bubbles.

We sat around the kitchen table, clinking our glasses & sharing memories of Michael's Dad. It was one year ago, that he left this earth for a better place. I laughed so hard I cried. Or was it the other way around?

Or maybe it was the Champagne...it had a LOT of bubbles.

Last summer, for Grandpa's 86th birthday, I made a slideshow for him. We watched the scenes from the previous years spent with us unfold. I smiled with joy reliving so many great times, I got teary-eyed remembering.

Or maybe it was the Champagne...it had a LOT of bubbles.

It was a lovely evening, in the midst of the busy season. When we finished, as I do every year, I went to my bedroom, closed the door, and got busy wrapping, while listening to Christmas music. That was when the song got stuck in my head.

Or maybe it was the Champagne...it had a LOT of bubbles.

Lunar Eclipse 2010

Wish I'd had a telescope and an amazing camera. But since I don't, here are my point & shoot pics from the spectacular lunar eclipse.

Honda Fail

Without warning, it died. Sarabeth was cruising down the highway when it quit. Thankfully it happened right after she finished her final exam. The Honda fell 4,000 miles short of its anticipated life of 200,000 miles. It endured abuse at the hands of teen drivers. It survived a side-swipe from a stop sign, crashing into a ditch, an airborne moment after jumping a median, running out of gas, oil, and various other body fluids. It's final trip was on the back of a tow truck.

But who can forget the worst violation ever:


All 4 tires slashed


Driver's Side

Every window & mirror was keyed


Driver's door

Trunk

Hood

Roof

X marks on side windows

RIP Honda Accord, you served this family well.
(The damage story can be found here & here.)

O Come Let Us Adore Him

Ethan came over last week. It was the first time he'd been here since I put up the tree and Christmas decorations. He rocked the singing Christmas dog, jammed with the piano-playing santa over and over and over. He admired the figurines with the baby Jesus, that he remembered I don't let him touch. (These pics were from 2 years ago.)

As he stood in front of the tree, he grabbed my hand and pushed it towards ornaments. I know he recalled playing with the Linus one, telling the Christmas story. His gestures were his way of asking which ones were okay to touch.

I gave him a gift that his great-grandmother had sent. All of the sudden, he ran to my bedroom. He remembered something else. Whenever this Christmas transformation takes place in Grandma's house, she has presents in her closet. I should have known.

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

But it really isn't. Yesterday it was 70 degrees. It is not beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We haven't had a single meaningful snowfall this season. Not one. Yet I keep reading about blizzards and records of accumulation in places that don't usually get much. Where is the white stuff that makes everything so pretty around here?

So, I was thinking about having a white Christmas, regardless of whether or not there is snow on the ground. I am tired of putting color on my hair every 2-3 weeks. Why not wear white? Tis the season, afterall.

Last week, Michael and I discussed the cost of maintaining the red color. I declared I should go white or au natural, to save on time and money. He dared me. He really did. I told him he wouldn't like it. He laughed. I had to do something. If I couldn't get my white roots covered up, by golly, I was going to strip the color out and make good on having white for Christmas.

But then I phoned my hairdresser. She convinced me not to do it. I ended up with an awful color. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. Again.


Proverbs 16:31
The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.

Holiday Cheer

I had my first big shopping trip of the season. While browsing a particular store (can't say which one) I found lots of things that I wanted. Momentarily, I forgot whose gift I was looking for. An overly helpful clerk, no doubt working on commission, hovered about.

"Can I help you find something?"

"No thank-you. I'm just browsing."

"Looking for something in particular or for that special someone?"

"Well, yes, sort of. The problem is, I keep finding things that I want."

"Buy yourself something. It will make you happy. It will put you in the Christmas Spirit. What size do you wear?"

She really did say that.

And I promptly told her what size I wore.

It did not produce Christmas Spirit, but I felt a tiny bit happy. (But only briefly.)

First Time For Everything

I keep thinking I'm going to write some nice, cheery Christmas posts. This isn't one of them.

I crawled out of bed this morning, bleary-eyed. My normal routine is, I wash my face, smooth my hair, then have my coffee. Today, I looked in the mirror at my crazy hair. Squinted, in the bright light, not liking what I saw. I didn't even bother to wash my face or to pick up a brush. I just wanted coffee.

I stumbled to the kitchen, and plunked my coffee cup in the microwave. Standing at the sink, I opened the window shutters. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a UPS truck, and a package for here.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes to try to focus. Yep! He was walking to the door. Normally, Michael answers the door. Today, he was still in bed. I knew he'd seen me in the kitchen window, so hoped he wouldn't ring the doorbell and wake Michael up. But he did.

I paused by the front door, waiting for him to walk back to his truck. He didn't. He needed a signature. Mustering up all of the courage I could, I opened the door slightly.

"I needed a signature on this one," he said very cheerily. Without making eye contact, I reached for the pen and mumbled, "it's a good thing I got out of bed."

"I see you driving your little yellow car all around town. Every time I see you I think, hey, I know where that lady lives. You know there aren't too many of those around. I can tell it's you because you always have the top down and I see your red hair."

Why must I have such a friendly UPS man? Imagine that. Me, standing at the door in purple pajamas. No makeup, hair plucked straight out-out-of bed after a long night. I wasn't even wearing a bra. And he recognized me.

I Survived

I promised myself that I would NOT go into details about having a colonoscopy, especially not about the prep. There are some things that nobody wants to hear about-moving bowels is one of them.

But...in light of yesterday's post, I do have to mention one thing. Prior to yesterday, I was warned by many that drinking Gatorade is difficult and hard to gag down when mixed into the proper concoction. I had 2-32 oz. bottles of the elixir. (When did they quit making the White Frost Gatorade that tasted like Fresca? I was looking forward to it.)

The first spiked bottle went down fine. While I waited for the intended side effects, the unexpected happened. I began vomiting. This would be great if the scope was peering into my stomach. It was certainly purged and empty. I wondered how much good it was going to do when most of it was never going to pass through my intestines. After 4 hours of this, there was no way I could even think about breaking open the next bottle of punch. I sipped water, but even that became a violent protest.

The bottom line, I figure I got maybe a fourth of the recommended solution through me. I was afraid after all of that, they would deny my procedure this morning. (In spite of me being quite certain that my entire system was clean. I've lived in this body every single day of my life. I know it quite well.) Amazingly, they trusted me. As I suspected, clean as a whistle.

Forgive me for speaking of the unmentionables. I'm still under the influence of Propoful.

Disclaimer: If you are going in for a colonscopy, do not trust my personal experience. Follow your doctors advice, not mine.

Oh What Fun It Is...Not

Warning: Not in a festive mood. Rant to follow.

With today's technology advances, I cannot figure out why the health/medical/pharmaceutical communities use what I consider archaic, preset standards.

With infants and children, medications are administered based on the size of a child-predominantly by weight. It is reasonable. I wonder if one day a better method could be utilized based on personalized absorption & metabolism rates.

What I don't understand is the broad, generalized administration of drugs to adults. Whether one is 5 foot and 90 pounds, or 6 foot 3 and 350 pounds, he gets the exact same dosage of medicine. This is not reasonable, in my humble opinion.

I went to the cardiologist for a treadmill stress test. It is a pre-programmed workout, designed to register how your heart responds to the level of activity. Why must I, at 5 foot 2, have to walk the same pace as the gentleman who is 6 foot 7? Someone can't design the speed of the treadmill based on the length of your legs and stride? The test was ended early. I could not walk that fast. For me, that pace required a slow jog, but that wasn't allowed. I could have continued, but I needed to keep a very firm grip on the bar to keep from falling. They complained that I could not hold on so tightly or it interfered with the test. Slow it down just a tad and get a better analysis of how my heart reacts to a workout designed for my size. Sheesh!

What about pulmonary function? Once again, my lung function is based on "standards." The spirometer measures my breathing at 80%-in the normal range for someone my age, height, sex, etc. But why don't they take into consideration whether or not a person has learned to breathe very deeply? Musicians who play wind instruments or singers have learned how to increase their lung capacity to improve their abilities to produce music.

I began playing an instrument in 4th grade. During my 4th year of playing, I was taught the difference between what I thought was a deep breath and what was a true filling up of the lungs. The difference is great. So when I'm asked to take a deep breath a blow, in order to determine my lung function, do I suck in like a typical person, or do I expand to my truest ability? Some of you probably think my ideas ridiculous, but I take this very seriously. So I score 80%, but when given medication to reduce inflammation, my score goes up to 115%. This is more accurate, because it shows my personal lung capacity and the improvement with needed medication. I can feel when I cannot fill my lungs. I don't want someone telling me "you're fine, lung function is excellent" when it may be based on a standard, but not for me. Ugh!

So my question now is, do I really need the full dosing in preparation for a colonoscopy? Do I need more? Less? But, as I've found in every other situation, there are no variables. Every single man and woman gets the exact same instructions regardless of their body type or size, or how slow of fast their digestive system functions.

I think new standards need to be devised.

Wondering...

Why do some posts roll off my fingers, while others jam my joints? My fingers freeze mid-sentence, failing to find words. Forgetful.

I have one of those posts. It's sitting unposted, where I just might leave it until it can behave and present itself like it should.

A little timeout should do the trick.

Pay It Forward

I've been told that today is Pay It Forward Day. It's been awhile since I've seen the movie. Honestly, I hardly remember it. The premise of the day, inspired by the movie, is to do at least one act of random kindness.The receiving party is then to pass it on by doing a good deed for another stranger, and so on.

What an amazing place this world would be, if we made every day pay-it-forward day. Instead of irritation in the grocery check-out line, as the elderly gentleman searches for 3 cents, there would be kindness. Not only paying for his groceries, but carrying them to his car.

How exciting would it be to "Pay-it-forward" in a big way, to make a big difference in someone's life? In the movie, I believe a guy gives away his expensive Jaguar car. I read about a Phoenix news station that has a monthly contest. It gives $500 to an individual who then has the privilege of giving it to someone else. The catch is he only has 60 minutes to decide who to give it to, and it can't be someone he knows. What a fun, yet rewarding experience this would be!

Guess what? You can do this! You have this opportunity. Every. Single. Day.

Meet Grace. No, not a person, but real, honest-to-goodness Grace. It comes from God. Grace was and is the most generous gift ever given. Nobody deserves it. Nobody could earn it. It is such an enormous gift, it couldn't be bought, except by one person. Jesus. He paid it forward 2000 years ago on the cross.

Twenty-six years ago, God's grace was extended to me, by a new friend. It changed my life radically. I have to confess, though, I have not been diligent about paying-it-forward for others.

If you've received the gift of grace, why not pay-it-forward today? You can pour it out randomly. To people waiting in the doctor's office, a person walking down the street, or standing in front of you at the store. You can give this lavish gift to anyone, at any time.

Like the news station giveaway, you too have a limited amount of time to pay-it-forward. The difference is, you don't know how much time that is.

What about living as if we only have 60 minutes to accomplish this task? Who knows, maybe that is all the time you or I have. Let's get busy.

God paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay.

Luke 6:38
"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Miss You

I'd like to talk to Grandpa (my father-in-law) today. I want to hear his stories of being stationed in Korea. He fought in the Korean War back in the 1950s. I'd like to ask him what he thinks of the current situation between North Korea and South Korea.

Instead, I send text messages to my son, Christopher. Even though he is not fluent in the language, I ask what news he is hearing, since he lives in the heart of Seoul. I think about how he taught his students about of the Korean War. He shared with them that his grandpa fought in this war. His students were wide-eyed and astonished that their teacher's own grandfather had stood up for their country. You can read the story here.

Feeling rather melancholy today. Missing so much family.




Here are the only 2 pictures I have of Thanksgiving: