Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Wonderful Day


SugarPeople
Originally uploaded by Addey Rat.

Yesterday was a very wonderful day spent with family.

Before I get too far into the story, I must post a belated Happy Birthday to Gak. We didn't get much time together yesterday, but we made the best of what we did get.

Yesterday was the day of my cousin's son's Bris. No one knew the boy's name, as they were saving it for the naming ceremony. After I dropped Gak off at work, I went down to my parents' house. Mom was making cookies to take and I was just in time to help.
We headed down to Baltimore around 11:30, dad and I both thinking it would take a lot longer than it really did. It was nice in a way, because when we got there the only people there were immediate family. Jenny comes from a HUGE family. Our family isn't.
The ceremony was very nice. It is wonderful to be able to celebrate a new life. According to Rachel, who is a nurse, this ceremony takes less time and causes less stress to the little boy than when they do it at the hospital. Somehow, I don't doubt it. There were cheers and tears all around. We finally learned this little man's name. I don't remember his Hebrew name, although it's very similar to his English name. His name is Daniel Ryan. It turns out that they chose a very appropriate name for him. Ben shared a story, which I can't remember all of, about the name and how it turns out that it fit so well. He's a little cutie and I'm sure he'll be a wonderful handful for mom and dad.
Milo, their dog, seems pretty mellow about the whole deal. He's a good puppy. I loved the little security shirt they had him in.
I can't really begin to say how nice it was to see all the family there. I only knew a few people, most of the people there were either Jenny's family or neighbors. But, at least like uncle Richard said, we weren't outnumbered 10 to 1 this time. (I think it was more than 10 to 1 at the wedding... or at least it felt that way.) It was a beautiful day and a wonderful time. I didn't get home until after 10, but it was worth it.

Oh, I told you I'd post a picture of my new corset. Well, it's up on my Flickr, you may have to actually click on one of the pictures to get to my photo stream to see it, but it's there...

Peace to all and may you have many happy family events.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Faire Fun

Yesterday turned out to be a wonderful day.
I did end up wearing my garb. I thought I had a different bodice than the one I ended up wearing. About halfway there, I remembered. I had given it to my mother. Sure enough, when we show up, there she is, wearing my old bodice. It looks good on her.
There were a few things that could have made yesterday better. The PA Faire has gotten very expensive. It was almost $60 for just Gak and myself. When I first started going in the mid '90s, it was about $18 a head and I thought that was a little steep. It's just about doubled in 10 years. But, then again, so have gas prices. I wouldn't mind paying so much if the entertainment was more and better. This year the revel schedule was pretty full, but once you looked at it, you realized that it was mostly the same handful of acts again and again. I'm not really complaining because some of them are worth seeing more than once, but they really only had a few quality, nationally known acts. (One of which were the Tartan Terrors, always a favorite!) They've done quite a bit of structural improvements to the buildings and grounds, but they've been loosing their best acts over the last handful of years.
We did watch the Terrors, eat some good food and go shopping. Gak and I purchased a print of the Green Man from Sabrina the Ink Witch back in June when we went for Celtic Fling. She was hoping to have Green Woman done by Faire, but it didn't happen. So, this means we'll have to pick her up in June, or order it off her web site when she gets it finished. (She's drawn, but not inked yet.) It will be nice to have the pair hanging in the house. Our dining room seems to have a 'tree' motif going, which is nice.
I figured since I was wearing my bad, well... not good, bodice, that meant I was able to go shopping for one. Mind you, I bought the green Irish dress I've been wearing in 2000 or 2001 I think. It has served me well and will serve me well again when I loose some weight. I ended up paying way more than I was going to, but I figured it was partially a birthday gift for Gak. I ended up with a new corset. I'll have to download my pictures off the camera and see if there's a good one to post. Gak was already having a hard time keeping his hands to himself. I think this made it all but impossible for him! (Not that I'm complaining mind you...) It took my waist in a good few inches and my bust up and out several more. I was so amazed at how I looked in it that I really didn't mind paying what I did.
Gak got new clothes too. Or, well, he will have new clothes sometime this week. He actually tried on a kilt. Unfortunately, the ones that they had were all about 4" too short to sit at his waist right. He looked very good in it. The owner of the shop said he'd custom make one for him, at no additional charge! Yes, you read that right, for nothing extra and will ship it to us. The plaid we chose is navy/black-gray/cream. It will look stunning on him, especially with his wedding shirt and vest. I can't wait to see him in it. Unfortunately, my corset doesn't match him in any way. The one side is a bright-ish red and black and the other is black and silver. Oh well, we don't clash at any rate.
Even Michelle bought clothes. While Gak was trying on the kilt, she was petting the wraps they had. They're a synthetic fiber so she can wear them. She wasn't going to buy one. The first one she tried on was a beautiful light green. She looks good in green. She ended up buying it.
So, it was a day of a few big purchases, a few interesting conversations and acts. (I think the shop keepers were more entertaining this year than some of the acts...) Overall a good day.
That is until the drive home. Can I tell you how much I hate I-78? They've been working on bits and pieces of this road for at least a decade. On the way out we went down to one lane, with no problems and the traffic in the other direction wasn't bad either. Well... on the way home it was bad. At one point, about 6 miles from the actual merge for the construction, we sat for at least 15 minutes, probably more like 20 or 25. I think it took us 1.5 hours to go about 10 miles. It normally takes 1.5 to 2 to get home. So, instead of going to the dinner after getting back, we settled for Arby's drive through.
Like I said, it was an enjoyable day for the most part. We did have a few not-so-pleasant bits, but that's ok.

Today has been a total loss at work though. I woke up stuffy and by the time I got to work my face felt like it was dripping off due to snot and drippy eyes. Allergies. I took a Benedryl around 9:30 and only just now feel awake again. I can breathe and my face isn't dripping so I'm happy, but it shot any productivity I had out the window. Oh well.
Tomorrow I go down to Maryland with Mom and Dad for the Bris. I can't wait to see my newest cousin and finally learn his name. I can't wait to see Ben and Jenny... and the dog Milo. I'm sure they're very happy to have expanded their family, but are exhausted right about now. I really do enjoy my cousin. I feel bad that we never get together more. They're not that far away. Bah. Yet another thing I'm not good at.
Peace to all and I hope you had wonderful weekends as well.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Celebrations

This has been a good weekend so far. Well, other than Michelle's drive up here. It should take about 4 hours, it took her almost 6 thanks to the Beltway and an accident on 95.
Wednesday while we were finishing up over at Scott's, Kat pulled me aside and asked if we wanted to do something for Gak Saturday. His birthday is Tuesday, but because of Halo 3 and my cousin's son's Bris, neither one of us will be around. That and Michelle is up this weekend. So, in about 5 minutes we came up with a plan. Kat made real pulled pork barbecue, Zoe helped make the cake and I pulled together the rest. Scott's job was to get Gak out of the house.
Scott came and got Gak around 10 am. Apparently, and I don't know the full story, Scott had a bad day dealing with coworkers on Friday. Scott was supposed to bring Gak back around 5. Well, they show up at about 4 and nothing was ready. He quickly comes up with some excuse to get them back out of the house. By the time they got back, everyone was here and Gak was a bit surprised at who all was here, but had figured out something was up.
It was wonderful to have a house full of friends. Especially when Al dropped by. He actually had his daughter with him. It was funny, I just happened to be walking past the front door when I spot this cute little blond girl walking in. I realize this is Al's daughter. (Mind you, this was the first I'd ever seen her, other than a few pictures. She's 2.5 years old!) I stick my head out the door and grab Al and drag him in.
I'd forgotten that last night was Equinox. My friend Chelsea has a very beautiful ritual written up on her blog that they did. I like ours just as much. Traditionally this is the time of the ending of one year and the beginning of the next. The harvest before the long winter and rebirth in the spring. I think we celebrated it in an appropriate manner ourselves. Maybe not so formally, but with just as much love and joy, even if not everyone realized it.
Today we are going to the Faire. I'm still not 100% sure if I'm going to wear garb. My beautiful green dress doesn't fit. It was tight last year, but apparently this year it's beyond tight. There is no way in the world that I'd be able to even remotely clasp the clasps. I do have an older bodice that does fit. I'm not sure how much I like it. It does have a few not-so-good or at least not-so-happy memories tied to it. That and it feels like such defeat, like I'm such a looser for not being able to keep my weight the same, let alone loose any. I was comfortable with myself while the clothes still fit. I admit, I was at the upper end of the sizes I wanted to be. But having the dress just outright not fit hurts. I think that and the fact that a month ago I didn't think I'd be wearing garb to fair because it wouldn't be fitting for other reasons. I don't get hung up on that often, but it's the oddest times that it makes me cringe a little.
I am looking forward to the day. Mom will be with us as will Michelle. It is supposed to be a nice day. Faire is almost always fun. Although, over the past few years the acts at PA have been steadily declining. From having people I know work there, I squarely blame the management. The Faire has been running for many, many years now, so it's not a lack of name kind of thing. It's at a nice time of year, but does compete with the MD one which is only a few hours south. Ah well, whatever.
I guess I should probably think about waking the other two. It's just about 7:45 and we have about 2 hours to get breakfasted and dressed and out the door.
Peace to all and may you be surrounded by friends and family in this time of the waining of the year.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Blarg

Well, this week started off well on the work front. I actually got quite a few things accomplished, but have been steadily running out of steam since. Today was almost useless in many respects. I did get a few odds and ends cleaned up, but none of the major things I needed to tackle got touched. Although, I can't really get too far on one without the input from one of my programmers. I'm doing a special seminar of sorts for the sales guys and this programmer owes me information. I asked for it by tomorrow, but I get the feeling I'll be lucky if I see it by Wednesday. I have to complete it by the end of next week because I'll be gone the week after and then the sales guys will be here. I've got to be able to get it printed while I'm away. No fun.
Last night Gak and I went over to Scott's. He and the guys were playing Warhammer and Kat and I were talking Girl Scout stuff. It looks like Kat's got a lot of neat activities lined up and our girls will earn several Try-It's without even trying too hard. I'm not sure when the first meeting will be, but it should be in a week or two. I know, a bit of a late start to the year, but this is a new troop. Zoe's school has never had any scout troop of any description, so convincing the school to let us is a little more challenging than at some. I'm sure we'll have a blast though. Hopefully by the end of the year we'll attract a few more girls so we can do even more fun stuff. I'm so excited about this.
Tonight I had signed up to go on a raid with Despair. Gak's in this guild. I haven't moved into it yet, I don't want to abandon Wings. I mean, I've got Whispe there still as well as a few others, but I feel like I'd be abandoning Syn and Charitee by moving Addey over. Oh well. But since I'm not actually a member of Despair, I am an alternate for raids. Unfortunately they managed to have a full roster of healers from within the guild. So no merc money or XP or loot for me tonight.
It actually worked out for the best though. I fiddled around on the Internet for a bit and was just about to start playing Paper Mario when Abi called. It was great to talk with her. Her parents are going up to RI this weekend so she was cleaning up a bit and figured she'd see what I was up to. We had a great chat. She was away last weekend in Phoenix with a bunch of people from a game she plays. She really had a great time, which is good. We all need good vacations. We still have tons in common and similar outlooks on a lot of things. Amazing because we came at them from such opposite directions at times. I'm sure I'll be getting at least one email this weekend telling me she's about ready to shoot her parents. (They mean well.... mostly....)
My weekend is looking fun. Michelle is coming up tomorrow night and will be here all weekend. We'll be going to the Ren Faire Sunday. Mom is probably going to join us. (I have to call her and double check.) Gak actually has both days this weekend off. It's been ages since he's had two days in a row off from work. It'll be nice. I almost wish one of those days was just going to be the two of us, but it's OK, we will be with friends we both enjoy.
I found out when my cousin's son's Bris will be. It'll be on Tuesday. It also happens to be both Gak's birthday as well as Halo 3 release day. Gak has to work the midnight release party as well as open on Tuesday. I knew I wasn't going to see him on his birthday much. At least this time it wasn't my fault to begin with! (Stupid, useless sales call last year because the person who was supposed to go got hurt at the picnic that Friday.) I will be heading down to Baltimore for the event. I can't wait to meet the little guy and finally learn his name. I think it's both cruel and cool that Ben and Jenny are keeping his name secret until the Bris. I know for a fact it's driving the grandparents up a wall. Luckily the day is almost here.

Well, that's about it for my life the past few days. I honestly think the highlight was either last night's Girl Scout talks or tonight's call from Abi. What a life huh?
Peace to all and may there be some bright spots in your life.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Sunday Sauntering

Yes, I know it is Tuesday and the title implies Sunday.
I just didn't get around to writing yesterday and Sunday evening I was just too tired to write.
Saturday afternoon Kat calls and wants to know what, if anything, we were doing that night. She also calls to talk about the Girl Scout stuff she picked up and to ask me if I needed a 10-year or 15-year pin. I said that this year should be 15 years and that I still have my 10-year pin. (Can you believe it?! 15 years!)
We also get onto the topic of orienteering because we were talking about camping. The training weekend for DVOA was in Hickory Run this weekend. Yet again, I didn't make it to the training. I had to have turned in my registration by the first of September, and that date came and went without me even noticing. Oops. The Sunday meet was open to all, so Kat said she'd see if Scott wanted to go and the three of us could make a day of it. She also asked if Gak and I wanted to go see 3:10 to Yuma that night after Gak got done work.
Well, we did end up going to the movie. It was pretty good. Gak's not a huge Russel Crowe fan, so he didn't enjoy it as much. I thought they did it justice. I've never seen the original, so I can't compare. I really liked the way they shot it. They didn't use the steady-cam for every shot, but they didn't totally make it vomit inducing with the motion. The story is a good one and the characters believable and complex.
The only real problem is that we got home at about 1am and we were meeting Kat and Scott at the dinner for breakfast at about 8:30. Gak had to work but Scott, Kat and I were heading up to Hickory Run. Breakfast actually came off without a hitch.
We had a total blast at Hickory Run. We got up there just about 10:30 or so after breakfast. Now, keep in mind that Scott was in the Army for a while and is used to doing this the way the Army did. Kat's gone a few times, but hasn't really since our Girl Scout days and this is only the 3rd event I've made since March. To say there were some comic moments would be an understatement. It was comic getting to the start. It was comic getting to numbers one and two. The start was comic because we were in the camp ground and in anything remotely resembling civilization, I get lost. The first two were comic due to differences in approach.
We did the Orange course as a group of three, but each had our own maps. this was good because we knew Scott would just be a map hog and I wanted a copy for myself to take home anyhow. The course was about 3.5 Km as mapped with about 100m of climb. Not bad really. I've had Yellow's that long and steep. The course was well designed. I think it might have been slightly on the easier side of Orange, but some of the controlls were a bit tricky, or could have been if one in a different order. (Actually, the two we messed up were two of the easier ones, but again, they were across the campsite so we didn't do too well with that...)
The three of us didn't have a stellar time, but none of us were too unhappy with it either. We walked. We made some obvious mistakes. We had fun, which was probably the most important. We all would have been happier if we'd shaved about 20-30 minutes off, but for a first outing, everyone did just fine. Scott was very pleased with the event. I think I've hooked another one. This is good. I can't wait for Steve to get home, we'll have to convince him to come out too. (Next time, we'll pit Steve against Scott, it'll be almost as funny as making the two of them be on the same team.) Kat and Scott both want to go again and there are several more events (several I can't make) between now and the winter break.

Ok. I just totally lost my train of thought. My email beeped at me and now I can't think. It was an email from my cousin announcing his son's birth this morning. No, I don't have a name. They're keeping it secret until the Bris, which will be on the 25th, which is Gak's birthday. I plan on going down to Baltimore for this happy event so I can give him the blankie I made. I don't have pictures yet because I haven't washed it yet. Luckily it's getting washed tonight, and no fabric softener and super gentle soap. (Ben has some fun allergies to chemicals and fairly sensitive skin, which is a family trait. Therefore, we don't want to risk accidental making Peanut break out.)
Peace to all and may your life be full of happy surprises.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Party in the Park

We've finally had some really nice weather. I think fall is finally approaching, if not here. I'm glad. Fall means weather that is still fairly warm, but not so humid and sticky. It does, however, mean more chances for rain, but that's OK too.

I finally finished a project I'd been working on for a while now. I needed to get pictures of it to post, but the lighting in the apartment just isn't that great really. Besides, it was too nice to stay inside.
Therefore, Scout and I packed up and headed to the park a few blocks from the apartment. It has this huge wooden multi-level playground that the community built. I was about to say built a few years ago, but I do believe it was the summer of 1992 or 1993 when it was built. I guess that qualifies as 'a while ago' now.
Scout ran around like a crazy woman on all the slides and stuff. A lot of the other kids giggled to see her. Most of the parents gave me some very odd looks.
What? Haven't they seen a bear-child who is glad to be out of the house? I don't know about some people...
The weather is so nice, that the slide is actually fun now. Metal slides are the pitts in the summer. Scout really doesn't like when they get hot enough to singe her fur. (You know it has to be hot if she gets burned through her fur.)

She's just like me. When I was little we had a swing set in the back yard. Most of the time if you wanted to know where I was, I'd be on the swing. Happily swinging my heart out. Unless I was jumping out of the swing to see how far I could go. I never did go very far, I was usually too scared to jump out when the swing was very high. I did love the feeling of flying through the air though. I think she'd have stayed there all day if I'd let her.

She also loves hanging around on the monkey bars or the handle version. I remember vividly getting in trouble myself on the monkey bars. You see, I used to love hanging upside down on them. The only problem is, that I'd end up doing this on days when I had a Girl Scout meeting that evening so I was wearing my Brownie jumper without any tights or shorts underneath. The teachers didn't think this was very appropriate behaviour. Oh well. I didn't think about it, I was having fun. Luckily for her, Scout doesn't wear skirts. I'm sure I'd be able to convince her to at some point, but not any time soon.
Peace to all and may your weather be as nice and your weekend as fun as ours has been.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Blah Week

This week wasn't as bad as it could have been. Tuesday was an adventure and a half, but not bad. It has just been long and I'm glad it is Friday.
Like I said Monday, I had 1.5 people this week. Plus the 'new' tech writer as well as one of the new project engineers. It was a good group over all. I'm just cranky with the 3 or 4 other people in the office who said they wanted to come, but completely blew me off. That makes me cranky. I mean, don't ask someone if you can come to a meeting and then that day (even though they had their boss's permission) blow them off. That's just rude. Not to mention potentially expensive to those holding the meeting or class.
I was glad that the tech writer could go. She's on a contract here and only here for a year. She started in March, but I haven't had the time to work with her yet, and no one else in the office has taken the time much either. No wonder she hates the job and feels like an idiot. It doesn't help that she's even more quiet than I am and not very outgoing. She's nice though.
Tuesday was an adventure because one of the service guys talked me into letting him take us all into Philly for cheese steaks. Mind you, I'd never been to this part of the city. I hate driving in the city too. To make a long, bizarre story shorter, we ended up making it down there OK, but because I lost the other car near the end of the trip and didn't know exactly where I was going and didn't "look up", we didn't get cheese steaks. We had a nice Italian dinner at a 'local joint' instead, which was good. It was a good time over all, but not one I care to repeat.
It's been a long week and I think I talked with Gak more last week while I was on the road than this week being at home. His schedule and mine just haven't meshed at all. Although, he did take me out to dinner last night, just because. It was a nice change. We only went to Boston Market, but it was a chance to spend some time with him and just enjoy being out.
Tonight I get to watch Zoe for an hour or two after work. Kat and some others had dinner reservations for 7pm, but Andy called her today to say he was going to be late tonight because of getting tires replaced. He knew about the tires since Tuesday. He could have called then. Bah, whatever. It means I get to spend a little time with my niece.
She has started the 1st grade already. She's in a new school this year, hopefully one that will challenge her a bit more. Her other school was nice, but getting very expensive and, unfortunately, didn't have the staff to be able to give those who needed either extra help or extra challenges enough attention. She's also going into Brownies! Kat is going to be the leader and there are about 5 girls in the troop right now. I have to decide if I want to just be an adult volunteer or officially be her assistant leader. I'm not sure. I don't know if I have the time to commit. I really, really, really want to though. I had so much fun in Scouts and without them, I wouldn't know Zoe at all, let alone be who I am and where I am. I do plan on spending a lot more time with her and the troop this year. It should, hopefully be fun. (I just hope the other mom's will actually give up a bit of control and let their girls do their own thing and not get 'in the way' of their experiences. I've seen waaaay to many parents like that and it makes me cringe and want to scream.)
Well, I'd best be finishing up the last of the million things on my plate for today. I've got so many things to get to in the next two weeks, it isn't even funny.
Peace to all and may you have a wonderful weekend and good family times.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Monday.... just Monday....

Ok. Friday went well. I woke up nice and early and made it to the airport in plenty of time. It took me almost as long as I thought it might to get to the airport. I was fine until about 6 or 8 miles from the airport and then everything just stopped. Well, almost stopped. The flight home was uneventful. Kat was waiting to pick me up. She's been having one of those weeks and needed to bounce some things off me. It was an entertaining drive back and lunch. She's definitely got some things to think about and I can't really help her a whole lot with this one. I'm not saying more for now. It's not my place.
The weekend was blissfully uneventful. Other than Gak getting stuck at the office until around 10 on Friday and stuck another hour late on Sunday. Mostly due to painful coworkers. Oh well. I did get a call from Abi Saturday night. We talked for well over an hour. It was so great to reconnect. I can't wait for her visit, even if it's in December instead of November. I still have a hard time realizing the end of the year is just around the corner.
EEEK!!! I have too much to get done!!!!
Ok. Panic attack over.
I'm home this week, but not really going to enjoy it much. My schedule and Gak's just aren't meshing. That's OK, I expect it. Heck, I should be used to not seeing him during the week. That's not what's going to cause me to groan throughout the week though. I'm having my quarterly regional training this week. In my office. For 1.5 customers.
Huh? .5 customer? How can that be?
Well, one customer is only going to be here half the week, so therefore, 1.5 customers.
I have at least one person from the office attending, so that's nice. I have a couple of others who say they'll be stopping by at times throughout the rest of the week. I'm not too keen on that idea, but hey, some training is better than none I guess. I really need people to fill seats the second half of the week. It should go OK. They are nice people.
We were supposed to go out to dinner tonight, but one of the service guys offered to take them/us into Philly tomorrow for cheesesteaks and the like. I'm grateful for this, but I don't want to go. I'm in a non-social mode right now, so this is a lot more work than usual. And usually it's a lot of work for me to be that social for an entire day and night with customers. This is the one part of the training that I just don't enjoy. I like being able to end the lecture and then go home (or at least to the hotel) and not have to deal with anyone other than my family until the next day. I like my downtime.
Oh well. It's only one week, then they'll be gone. I'll be here the next two after that. I'm looking forward to finally being able to catch up on some stuff around the office that I've been neglecting for about 5 or 6 weeks. Oops.

I did get some disheartening news from mom though. Gram's most recent bone scan doesn't look good. Before the kidney operation, it was clean. Now it's not. It hasn't been that long. Neither of us know the extent of anything. Gram has the report and is sending a copy to mom, who will forward on a copy to me. This is one time I wish Gram used email. It would be so much faster and I could get the facts instead of 3rd hand and know how much to worry or to be able to stop worrying. Like I've said a lot the past few weeks. 2008 has got to be better than 2007... it just has to!
Ok. I'm tired and need to lock my worries back up so I can get to sleep. I hope everyone had a peaceful weekend and good health and happiness. Peace to all.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

In Indiana

Well, this week didn't go as badly as I thought it could have. On Tuesday when Gak and I were just finishing up lunch, my contact for the training this week called. Mostly to be a bully and try and get things his way without having to pay for it. Eventually everything worked out. I did have to call in my boss on this one, as my point of view was to tell him to go pound sand until he paid me the money. We came to a compromise that I'm not 100% happy with, but is better than no sale at all.
The area of Indiana I'm in is OK I guess. I'm about an hour outside of Chicago, so I'm just barely in Indiana (about 10 miles at most). The area around here seems quite depressed and run down. More so than usual for a place playing host to a power plant or refinery. The people are decent enough, but no where near as nice as some of my friends in Colorado were last week. I managed to get through the day without killing anyone, but I did start to loose my voice. Just goes to show that I've been doing a lot more training recently and my sinuses are still giving me grief. Nothing new there. (You try talking for almost 8 hours in a row and see how your voice fares... unless you happen to be a teacher, then you've got to be able to do it to...)
The good part of the week is that I've been in email contact with Abi almost daily. We're really getting to know each other again, and I realize that deep down, we're still the same two goofy, somewhat outcast kind of kids that hung out in school. We've known each other since I was in about 5th grade. (I don't think I met her the 2nd half of 4th grade when we moved to PA, but I could be wrong... I know we knew each other the next year.) I think, now that we've found each other again, she's the person that I've known the longest. I still remember my friends Josi and Karen from Kansas. I often wonder how they are. I thought about Josi last week while I was in Colorado, because she'd moved there shortly after we moved to PA. I hope they're all doing well and enjoying their lives.
I'm really enjoying getting to know Abi all over again. Sure, we had 6 or 8 years together in school. We even had a joing 18th and 20th birthdhay party. (She's 1 week shy of being exactly 2 years older than me.) I'm finding out that despite the different paths our lives have taken, we're really very much the same inside. I'm having fun and can't wait until she comes down to visit her parents for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. I really want Gak to meet her. She'd really fit right in with the rest of our misfit band of friends.
Anyhow, I'm more or less rambling. I'm tired, as it was a long day. I've got a relatively early flight in the morning and I guess I'd better pack up tonight. (I have to leave here by 6am to make my 9am flight in Chicago.)
Peace to all and may you find friends who warm your heart and are fun to be with.

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Update

Well, I had my doctor's appointment this morning. It was as I suspected. No sign of a pregnancy. The hormone levels alone between the two tests alone showed that likely hood. One of the good things about loosing the pregnancy this early is that as my doctor said it's "self correcting" meaning no outside intervention needed to be done. It really was like a very bad month.
Gak and I are both OK with how things turned out. That's not to say we're happy about it, but we accept it and have decided to move forward. Everything looks OK on the ultrasound and I'm healthy. The doctor said that as soon as the hormones totally zero out, we're free to start trying any time we want. And we will. We both want at least one child, preferably two.

I really don't have any other news, but know that many people were pulling for us. We're OK and we're moving forward.
Peace to all and may you find the grace and humor to deal with the curve balls that life throws you.

Monday, September 03, 2007

Wierd Weekend

This has definitely been an odd weekend.
I read my friend Chelsea's Blog entry from Saturday yesterday and she was talking about friends and lost friends. I then went and checked my email. Low and behold, I had an email from a high school friend I'd lost touch with just about 10 or 12 years ago now, Abi Deglar. What really makes it funny is that while I was in Denver I saw a sign for her school (Johnson and Whales) and it made me think of her. I'd heard she'd gotten involved in some scary stuff and wondered how her life was now.
It sounds like she's got some major demons lurking in her closet, but is working very hard at not letting them ruin her future. She does have a future. She's as bright and fun and funny as ever. I really have missed her. I somewhat blame myself for loosing touch, because I'm so good at doing that. But, I now know it wasn't all my fault. She was in a bad place for a long time and only recently found her way back out. I'm just glad she did and decided that she wanted to find me again.
That in and of itself would have made this an interesting weekend. But it gets a little bit odder as well. Yesterday I decide to do the grocery shopping before picking Gak up from work instead of in the morning. (I was feeling lazy and didn't want to do much more than the laundry I had to.) I'm standing there, looking at my list and I hear an "Addey!". I look around and suddenly see the first guy I ever dated. From high school. He was in the grocery store with his son (who's way to old to be his son!) to pick up stuff for dinner. We talked for a few minutes. I think this was the first I'd seen him in about 8 or 9 years. Our relationship was not a good one; it was definitely not a healthy relationship. I used to hate him for it. I haven't felt that in a very long time though, maybe 10 or 12 years now. He has had enough rough crap in his life to more than make up for any bad things that happened while we were together. He's doing well and it was good to see him. He has really turned into a very good man.
So this weekend has really been about finding people. I was found by one of my best friends from high school. I'd thought about looking for Abi on several occasions, but I wasn't sure I could still spell her last name. I also didn't know if I would be able to find her with some of the things that had been going on in her life. I'm also glad to know that Ray seems to be doing well and has a job he enjoys.
Well, I'm tired. I've got that follow up doctor's appointment in the morning. Even though I know the answer, I'm still a bit nervous about it. Oh well. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Peace to you all and may you have happy meetings and find the friendly souls you've been missing (maybe without knowing it...).

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Photo Time!

You are getting a rare treat. I've actually posted all but two photos I took in Colorado to my Flickr. Yes, usually I take several more than get posted. I only took a few this week so you get to see almost all of them. They have been cropped and made presentable in PhotoShop, but that's only because I refuse to post total crap.
A few highlights for those who don't wish to meander over to Flickr though.
On Friday morning I had a bit of time after I was finished packing and before I had to head to the airport. I was staying in Golden, CO and I knew there were several parks and things nearby. (More than just the Coors Brewing Company...) I followed a sign labeled Lookout Mountain/Buffalo Bill's Grave. It turned out to be an interesting drive.

This is why I love Colorado. I had driven for about 15 or 20 minutes up. The road was single lane in each direction and had some switchbacks I wouldn't have wanted to do with that van I had in California. The posted speed limit was 20 MPH and they meant it. You could go a little faster, maybe 25 or 30, in areas, but as soon as you did, you'd hit a switchback and have to slow to 15. I took this from the parking lot of the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave Site.

I didn't plan on going here, I just ended up here. Growing up, I'd heard of him, probably even read a bit about him in school. I got there with real mixed thoughts about the guy. I'm not sure my thoughts are any clearer, but I think I understand a bit more. I have to say, I honestly don't think he was a 'bad' man. From reading things said by his peers, he really did respect everyone who worked with and for him. I think he was truly a 'westerner' and became a mountain man, but more enlightened than we give most of them credit for. Yes, he probably did some bad things, but everyone does. Yes, he killed lots of buffalo, but he also owned a herd to protect them too. Yes he fought Indians, but then he hired them to work in his show.

Anyhow. Enough of that. Here is where he is laid to rest beside his wife. He'd been to the Denver parks (his sister lived in Denver) and decided this would be the best place to be his final resting spot. I agree. The view is magnificent and the land is peaceful and not crowded. (Although, the view has been encroached upon by some tall radio towers, but that's modern life for ya.)

The graves are covered, not with marble, but with fist sized chunks of raw quartz. When the sun hits each piece just right they glow. Some glow white, others pink or yellow. It was truly stunning.

I found this sign on my walk over to the grave site. I had to chuckle at it. I love what it says, although I've been known to abscond with a small rock or dead driftwood stick from time to time from parks. I know, if everyone did that there would be nothing left. I don't do it often and much smaller things than most people would even think of. But what I had to giggle at was how many people had made their mark on the sign. It seemed somehow ironic or apt or something. I'm not sure of the right word, but it fit.

In other news, Gak and I finally went out for dinner for our anniversary last night. It was the first time we'd been on a 'date' of any kind, unless you count going to see Transformers since, oh, I don't know, the first of the year? It was nice to just take time to be with my honey and relax. I do love him so. I miss him so much when I'm not home and never show him I love him enough when I am home.

He has started his new job officially today. Oh, wait, I'm not sure I told you guys about that. I'm pretty sure I didn't, now that I think about it. Well, he's moved next door and is working at Game Stop. I honestly don't remember the title he's got, but his in the management team so he's not just a shlub of an associate. He's making a good bit more money and working a full 40-hour week now. If things go well, he'll be making even more and possibly managing his own store within the next 3 years. I'm not going to hold my breath because that's in the future and who knows what that brings. He was both happy and sad to be leaving the UPS store. He really enjoyed working for Mike, but he just couldn't give him the hours we needed him to have or the money. This truly is for the best. Mike understands that and as much as he hates loosing Gak, knows Gak made the right decision. This should be a fun adventure.

I think that just about wraps it up from me. I've got to get a few things done around the house before I go pick up Gak, including getting the grocery shopping done.

Peace to all and may you find pretty places to soothe the soul and meaningful things in the rest of the world.