Forever and a Day

Well, it seems I am not quite as good at this as I had hoped. A month is a long time between entries. Oh well.

So, it is October and the rest of the country is in mid swing on fall. For us it is just starting. A cold front came through, but now it back up to the 80s during the day. The evenings and mornings are cool. There are two things I love about this time of year. The ground is still warm, and the cold morning air creates fog banks in the low lying areas. I pass a field that is swampy and has long grass patches. In the fall I think of it as to moors in the Secret Garden. Quite romantic and very fallish. The other thing I like about this time of year is the prospect of switching out my wardrobe. Sure, Texas doesn't get so cold as the rest of the country, but I still have to put away my sandal's and pull out my shoes that require socks. I have to replace tank tops with long sleeves and a jacket.

They are talking about heating bills this winter. I guess that is a plus for shorter/less harsh winters. Actually, there are more pluses then minuses on that subject. I am not made for cold weather. I don't like it, and I would rather be in a warm climate year round. If I have to pull out the occasional sweater I am ok, just because I get to wear something different for a change. It has nothing to do with the enjoyment of the cold weather.

I must admit, there is another perk to the cold weather. FIREPLACES! I enjoy my fireplace as well as smelling my neighbors' going when I must be outside.

Canada just had their Thanksgiving. My one Canadian friend that still lives in Canada asked me about turkey recipe's. My response was- I am still looking forward to Halloween and dreading the cold weather. It is not cold enough to start thinking about turkey yet.

I am planning a fall festival for work. What fun! This is something I have wanted to do for so long and I actually get to do it. Of course, there is a team working on it. I love being part of a team that loves parties and events as much as I do. We are having fun and I am learning great things every day. I am trying to embrace the inevitable end of summer as best I can and a fall festival seems to be the way to do just that. Fun Fun! TTFN

I know it has been a while. For a while i didn't have too much to say. Now, there is so much going on that i don't have time to pass it along. When my world is back to a steady pace i'll write some fun things. Drew's grandma turned 89 over the long weekend. The stories a woman who lived through so much can tell. I hope to put some in story form before long. If and when i do i'll pass them along.

Differences

To some, it is pointless. To others, it is too high tech. To me, it just makes since. I open this page, and study it for a moment. I know the words will appear if I sit here long enough. Is it a whisper in my ear? Is it a tingle in my finger tips? No, its just a thought that pops up in my mind and I begin to type. There really isn't anything interesting to tell. No life changing events this week. No funny things I must share. It's just a chance for me to release some creative energy in passing. I could tell these things to my notebook at home. I could call up one of you and spout it out, but at this moment I choose to blog it. I choose a means of expression that is new (in my world anyway) and I exercise my rights as an educated blogger to "pen" my thoughts in the way I choose.

New Discoveries

When I was 8 the best place to discover new things was in the white barn with red doors. If I offered to help clean out the storage barn each summer I had a chance to look for treasures. Things I found through out the years- A car dash board that sat perfectly above the steering wheel of the old timey truck Dad put in the back yard for decoration, An easel that was my grandmothers- nice dark wood and simple solid lines (currently part of my home decor), a wooden trunk that I worked over and lined with an old quilt top I bought at an antique auction in Alabama (also currently part of my home decor), and a kiln that was my grandmother's (still sitting in the storage barn due to weight and no guarantee that it works.

All this to say, I loved those treasure hunts, even if I had to clean to get to them. That has given me a great appreciation for old things. When I was in college I worked for a framing store. People would bring in old pictures and want them reframed. I would help pick out new framing and take the old picture back to someone to work on it. So often, I would tell the guy taking them apart to look for hidden treasures. We never saw anything valuable, but occasionally there was another picture behind the one shown. That was always fun.

Today, I get that fulfillment in several ways. 1- We go shopping in old large places that are piled with things and dig through the clutter to find the treasures. We might have to pay for them, but finding them is fun. 2- Driving through neighborhoods and looking at houses. I know that one day we will turn a corner and find the perfect craftsman/ranchstyle house and the price will be even more perfect. 3- Now this one is a fairly recent adventure. Finding treasure of connectivity. I can send a blog from my Nokia Mobile Phone and see it online instantly. I am discovering e-mail availability on my phone. I am leaning better ways to get what I want off the internet. Quite amazing really. We live in an age of mobile connectivity and I have barely scraped the surface. Before too long I plan to learn how to build websites and create flash animation for them and so on and so forth. I am looking forward to digging through this storage barn and finding more treasure as I go.

First blog from my handy dandy phone. Thought i would see how well gabs looks on it. Fun times

A Day in the Life . . .

It seems hard to comprehend what others are doing out in the world. We have been discussing things like: trains in Europe & Asia, Summer Holidays, Loft Apartments in the City. These things seem so foreign, yet these are the things the "world" says are normal. For me normal is: driving my car to and from work, sitting on the back porch in the evening drinking a corona or margarita, doing something crafty and wishing I was there when away, cleaning and cooking. We spent a year living "abroad". There was nothing romantic about it the way it sounded at the beginning. It was hard, long hours of work, inability to speak with anyone from my own world besides Drew, inability to go places alone. Don't get me wrong, I am very glad we did it. It is even fun telling people we spent a year in China and hearing their questions. We are happy to let them picture the romance of it if they wish.

I have come to appreciate the everyday, despite the struggles. The grass is often greener on the other side, but I often force myself to step back and look at just how green my own grass is. Romance gets in the way for me so often, but I try to remember that not everything that seems ideal is truly ideal.

Goals:
Eat Better
Exercise More
Read More
Love myself even if I don't do the others

By-Pass Day +1

Yesterday was my dear sweet father's by-pass. It was truly a long day. He came out of it fine. I can certainly tell you he looks better now then he did during/after all that chemotherapy he had 15 years ago.

I am quite proud of my dad. He seemed pretty calm about the whole thing until the hours just before they wheeled him away.

10:30 they put the pretty blue hair net on him and took him for prep.
12:15 they took him into surgery
4:30 the doctor came out and told us the surgery was a success. Praise God!
5:30 we went into his room (8 of us) and they gave us the run down on how he did and the recovery process
5:45 while we were in the room he opened his eyes. Mom leaned over and kissed him and talked to him. In all honesty, that was the first time I cried through the whole ordeal.
I leaned over to talk to him and he turned his eyes toward me (of course he could say anything our really move because he was hooked to a ventilator).
9:30 after dinner we returned to tell him goodnight. I said "We will be back to see you in the morning." He gave me a thumbs up. That was the second time that day I cried. Praise God!
Day 2
6:15 am: we went back up to see dad. He was awake, but a bit nauseous. He remembered the night before. The nurse says he may not remember any of this later. We will see.
9:05 am: we took a flight back home. It was hard to leave, but we knew he was glad we were there and we knew there was not much more we could have done if we had stayed.
5:45 pm: Called Mom. Sounds like dad is doing good. We will keep praying for his quick recovery.

I am writing a journal of the events as well as memories from childhood. I plan to enter more this week and send it to my dad, so he had it when he gets home end of the week. Maybe once it is there my brother and sisters can do the same when they are home.

Praise God for my dad. Praise Him for the surgeons that know what they are doing. Praise Him for life!

The Men in my life

Poor poor Drew. He had to have a scope stuck down his throat this morning. Ouch! They knocked him out and he is now sitting on our back porch recovering from the drugs. He'll be fine when they wear off.

Other news in Bird world. My dad is having heart surgery on Friday. Seems they found blockage in 3 of his arteries. It looks like I am the only one of my dad's 5 children who can go home for the blessed event. Drew and I will probably go tomorrow night and miss another day of work on Friday. We both have great bosses that will allow us the time off.

You know, it is quite strange. I spent some time just yesterday recounting events from 14 years ago dealing with my dad and his health. When I was still in high school my dad had lymphoma. He spent 8 months in treatment. I thought I should record my thought from those 8 months. Shortly after I finished my 3 page memoirs I got a call from my mom telling me dad was going to have to have heart surgery. I am glad to say it is a different time and I am in a much different place, but it certainly hit home.

Six Flags, 2 Witches, the in-laws and a Chocolate Factory

So often I wonder what life would be like if we didn't have unexpected adventures pop up on occasion. This week has been quite unexpected thus far.
Day 1- Saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(quite good, but love most anything Tim Burton does) and saw Stevie Nicks in concert (hadn't had much Stevie Nicks exposure other than the Fleetwood Mac songs on the radio, must say she is kinda spooky)
Day 2 - Spent the day riding roller coasters at Six Flags (wouldn't have been unusual, except it was totaly unplanned and got to skip work to go). Fun!
Day 3 - My husband had to have dinner with Elvira (really!) and I picked his mom up at the airport and took her home. (Interesting trade off, wouldn't you say?)

Hoping today is more run-of-the-mill. Too much excitement in one week could keep one from enjoying life.

Too Early

I stayed up late hoping I would wake up late. No such luck. Still have 12 hrs before my sweet Drew gets home. I'm picturing the sheep now . . . 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 and your getting sleepier and sleepier. I'm going back to bed.

Later

Well, I got my hair cut last night. I decided to be a bit adventurous. It is the shortest I have had my hair. Let's just hope Drew likes it.

That adventure has seemed to pay off, so I thought I would set up a blog. Seems fun so far!

Drew will be home in 28 hours and counting! When I pick him up at the airport he will have been away 11 days and 9 hours. Time to come home! Ya been away long enough.

Things that happened during the time he was gone: 1. Bombings in London, 2. Drew turned ?? years old, 3. I shrimp jumped, but no fish died, phew, 4. Saw Debbie W. for the first time in 1.5 years (best friend growing up), 5. My sister Rebecca found out she's havin' baby #2, 6. Oh, yes . . . got my hair cut.

Stay tuned . . .