Saturday, May 31, 2008

Sunny Deck Days

It's one of those BEAUTIFUL Colorado days that you just have to brag about! Spring is always slow in coming to the mountains but when it arrives, you are SO excited and take any advantage of being outside that you can!

I was excited for spring to arrive this year so I could sit out on my new deck! It's a large beautiful deck that faces Pikes Peak and yes, the peak still has snow on it so it's gorgeous! We have a nice patio table and 4 chairs along with a swing that has a canopy on it. Our side door off the dining room opens out onto the deck so you can crank the music up and hear it outside!

Glenn and I sat on the deck this morning having coffee and just enjoying the sunshine - you can smell the pine trees too and pretty soon the aspen trees will be budding out! It's a short summer here!

After some of my morning chores, I hit the deck for some sun! (And yes Amanda, I DID put on sunscreen!) I decided my wimpy looking leg needed a little color so off came the aircast and it IS looking much better! The sun was wonderful......

I even had some company this morning - my good friend Joleen brought over daughter Becca and her 3 kids - she has a new baby, Sophie, that I hadn't seen yet and my, is she a doll!! She has the cutest, pudgiest cheeks that you just want to pinch! Becca and Jessi were very close friends during high school and we always make it a point to all try and get together whenever we're all in the area!

My project for the afternoon is to bake a rhubarb cobbler - Joleen brought me back fresh rhubarb from Ks. on her last trip out and I have the best recipe for a dessert! It's also made with fresh strawberries - yum! I better get busy....

Friday, May 30, 2008

Memories and Massages

Ouch - I was up too much on my leg yesterday and by the time I got home from work, I was hurting - bad! I took off my cast and sock and saw that my arch and ankle were a nice light shade of black and blue - hmmmmm - guess a night on the couch was in order!



I pulled my "Memory Box" out of the downstairs closet - it's a good sturdy office box that was still taped shut from our move - and drug it into the living room. My project for the evening was to look through the box and find obituary notices of my mom and dad, grandpa and grandma.



A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a 2nd cousin on my mom's side through email - of course, I had no idea she existed as I really don't know much about my mom's side of the family. She is INTO genealogy and wanted to introduce herself, share some old pictures, and update! I have emailed her all the pertinent info on our immediate family and my siblings will be doing the same. But she asked if I had the obituaries for my parents and grandparents, hence the sorting of the memory box!



This box is full to the top of every piece of paper that I have saved since my birth that is NOT in a scrapbook. Of course, looking through the box took me down Memory Lane and it took me almost 3 hours to get through it. And that was only peeking at a fraction of the papers! My box is full of greeting cards (every imaginable holiday), certificates, obituaries, newspaper clippings, and Christmas letters! Of course I had to read the Christmas letters I had written over the past 25 years!



But one greeting card caught my eye - the outside said "To my son-in-law" and as I opened it and read it, the tears started flowing - it was to Glenn from my dad, sent a few days after my mom had passed away, and dad had written at the bottom, "Thanks for loaning Becky to me when I needed her the most." You see, I had taken a week off from work to go back to Iowa for the funeral and to spend time with Dad and my siblings. And that simple message that he had written at the bottom, opened the floodgate of tears and all the memories of mom and dad! It's a GOOD thing to remember those memories - and a good cry is a great cleansing for the body, so I've read!



I DID find the obituaries - and today I will scan them and email them to my 2nd cousin so she can add them to the history of our family.



Tonight is MASSAGE night - HOORAY!! Heather is a great friend whom I met a couple of years ago - she came in to get insurance on her new house and as she was leaving, she pulled out a business card and handed it to me saying if I knew of anybody that needed a massage, to give her a call! Before she even walked out the door, I had an appointment with her - and the BEST thing (besides her price!) was she only lived a couple of miles from me and was willing to come to my house to do the massage - it doesn't get any better than that!



So for the last 2 years, I have basically had a massage every other week!! Sure, there were weeks when we couldn't get our schedules to match or one of us was on vacation but we normally worked it out and the massages are WONDERFUL! Her husband Hans became friends with Glenn too, so the 4 of us have spent a lot of time together.



Of course circumstances change - we moved, they moved, she had a baby, I broke my leg - so the last 3 months have really been hit and miss but I think we're back on schedule! Since she now lives in Co. Springs, we will work around her schedule and the new massage location will be here at my office! That's fine with me - I just NEED and WANT my massage - she is GREAT at what she does and knows exactly where to put her skills to work at on my body!



After my massage tonight, Glenn will meet me for a bite to eat and then we're heading to the show to see the new Indiana Jones movie! We haven't really been "out" since I broke my leg so we're both looking forward to the evening! What more could I ask for - a massage, dinner and a movie all in one night - WOW!!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Relaxation!

If someone were to ask me my top two forms of relaxation, #1 would be a massage and #2 would be the hot tub!

One of my clients was in yesterday and noticed the cast on my leg - she has had numerous leg problems and the majority of the time, she's on crutches or using a cane! I told her my story and she asked me if I was going to therapy for my leg or just doing exercises and I told her I just had to do the exercises. She informed me that the BEST way to do them was in a swimming pool as your foot is buoyant and you don't feel the PAIN then! I agreed - by the time I get to the end of my exercise, I hurt!

Well, there sure isn't a swimming pool handy but we have a hot tub, the next best thing! So that's exactly where I was at last night about 9:00 - enjoying the hot tub and doing my foot and ankle exercises in the water - and she was right - it is so much easier to do them in the water!

I have always loved hot tubs - Glenn and I got our first hot tub when Jill was in the 8th grade - why I remember this, I have no idea - but I do remember that confirmation was coming up soon! After the tub was delivered, set up, and filled, the workers informed us that it would take quite a while to heat up before we could use it! That wasn't what the girls wanted to hear! Since it was way too cold to use before bedtime, the girls set their alarm for some ungodly early morning hour to see if they could get in then! I have to admit, I don't remember if they were able to or not!

We used the hot tub at our other place many, many times! My favorite time was at dusk - but nightime ran a close 2nd as you could lay there and look at the stars. We had a great view of the sky and it was so relaxing to just lie there and stare at the stars! Even getting in the tub all winter was fun - the hot tub was just a step out the door and yes, it was COLD before you got in, but well worth it once you settled down in the water! I especially enjoyed full moon nights with the white snow all around - it was almost light out with the reflection of the moon on the snow!

Our old hot tub was sold with the house - but we had another one bought right away! It's a newer model with more jets and an awesome lounge chair that I love! This tub isn't quite as handy as our old one - until the steps and small deck are built around the hot tub, you have to walk the length of the covered porch and then walk on dirt out to it! We thought we had a good view of the sky at our old place - well, it doesn't COMPARE to what we have at the new house! Because we don't have a lot of trees right by the hot tub, the entire sky is there for your viewing and it's amazing!

I've spent many hours in our hot tubs with friends and family and drinks and chips - it's a great way to just sit and relax and catch up with people! And if you don't feel like talking, that's OK too, as the silence in the country is wonderful!

Guess where I'll be about 8:00 tonight?

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Going UP, UP and UP.....

I filled up my gas tank yesterday after work - I hadn't done this for 6 weeks and I knew what the gas prices were - it just didn't really hit home though until I filled it myself! Gas here in Colorado is $3.68 for unleaded and $4.48 for diesel -unfortunately, Glenn has to drive the diesel truck the majority of the time for his granite business - ouch - it hurts the pocketbook to fill up these days! I always fill up at 1/4 of a tank and even then, it was $63.20 to fill up!

Each Christmas the girls and I make up a list of questions to answer - they're our "predictions" for the year and each couple answers the questions and then I keep the answers until next Christmas when we read them aloud on Christmas Eve - the couple that answers the MOST questions right, gets the "frog" for the year - the frog is a cute ceramic guy that sits about a foot tall and has a change of clothes for the different seasons and holidays! Glenn and I haven't won yet - darn!! But anyway, one of the questions on our sheet was to write down the price of gas - we will be using the price on Christmas Eve at the Western Convenience Store, right outside of Woodland Park. I distinctly remember the price Glenn and I put down - $4.00 a gallon - and I think we might be pretty close come next December - gas probably will NOT go down - only up!

We probably won't camp very much this summer due to the cost of gas, as camping means driving the diesel truck with the camper on it! But we CAN camp close to home - there are lots of beautiful places to camp within an hour and a half drive (well, to be honest, that's not totally correct as our back yard would be a gorgoues place to camp with our view of the mountains!!) I guess time will tell whether or not we camp much......................

My boss left today for a 2 week vacation to South Carolina to visit his son and daughter-in-law. They only see each other once a year - makes me feel very fortunate to see my girls as often as I do! SO I'm on my own!! I get along just fine as I run the office anyway - but I'm REALLY glad I am walking on my own without the crutches as it makes it easier to do the banking and getting the mail from the post office. The hardest part of not having Gary around is I'm in charge of his many, many plants in the office (including 4 orchid plants) and watering the lawn. So I take very careful notes of his instructions as I'm always worried I will kill off a plant or two when he's gone!

June is usually our busiest month in the insurance industry but the economy has slowed down enough that I believe we will not be very busy the next month. I have a couple of projects to do that I have been putting off until I was back to work full time, so I'll keep busy! Enjoy your vacation Gary - you deserve it!

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Progress!

Today, for the first time in 6 weeks, I walked down our loft steps. I also walked back up the steps to dry my hair, put on makeup, and brush my teeth - and then I walked down again! This may not seem like a very big feat to most people but to me, it was PROGRESS! After being on crutches for 6 weeks, I can NOW walk without them!

It happened up at Jaime's this weekend - I got up Saturday morning and tried to take a step without the crutches and I COULD DO IT! Little steps that gradually worked into bigger steps! Not a real pretty sight as I walk with a huge limp and kind of lean to one side, but it's STILL a step! And with those steps, comes even MORE independence as I can now carry things with my hands!

I didn't attempt steps until Sunday and Jaime's are carpeted which made it easier than our log steps - but just that simple task of walking up steps (very slowly of course!) was exciting as I have been scooting up and down steps for 6 weeks on my bottom! (Trust me, I have the cleanest steps around!)

Also another first this morning - I walked into the grocery store and bought a few groceries - took me a LOT longer than I thought it would and I was late for work, but I DID IT! And yes, it is hard as it hurts sometimes and my legs get very sore and my ankle still swells but it's still worth it! And I almost forgot - I showered this morning WITHOUT sitting on a chair in the walk-in shower, I stood! I feel extra clean now!

It's amazing how little things can be so important when you haven't been able to do them for so long! I have learned a lot through this ordeal - mostly patience! And I have a new appreciation for the handicapped - not pity anymore, but a great deal of admiration for the things they CAN do! This broken leg has opened my eyes and although it has been a long healing process which I'm still not through yet, I believe I have emerged as a better person!

The Memorial Day Holiday turned out to be a cold, rainy day - the girls and I decided we were glad we were NOT camping with the guys! Our outing for the day was to Sam's Club! I never thought I would EVER be in one of those driveable carts in a store but that's exactly where I was! There was no way I could walk on my own through that huge store - so I got a cart and Rayna and I had a ball driving through the aisles! The little boys looked so cute sitting side by side in a double cart and we enjoyed our shopping trip, ending with coffee at my favorite place!

By the time the guys arrived home late afternoon, we were ready to hand the kids over to them! I think we were all getting a little cabin fever by this time as the kids couldn't play outside! So after birthday gift opening and watching Kylan devour his 1st birthday cake, everyone headed to their respective homes and I'm sure Jaime sighed with relief!

We missed spending the weekend with Jill and Robby - they were camping with friends in the mountains - but hopefully Labor Day Weekend just might work for all of us!

Monday, May 26, 2008

Grandkids, Garage Sales and Gifts

It's early Memorial Day Weekend morning and Jaime's house is QUIET!! And that's a little rare! I've spent the last 3 nights sleeping beside Rayna in her trundle bed - yes, it's just a twin bed but no matter WHERE I sleep in Jaime's house, I always sleep great!!! I awoke early, smelling that WONDERFUL Colorado air coming in through the window and I laid in bed a long time, realizing just how much I LOVE that smell!

The guys are still fishing up in Wyoming - not really catching many fish I guess (the tornado up there stirred up the waters! - not a great excuse but I'm sure it will work!) but having a good time - and that's all that matters!

Jaime, Rayna, Kylan, Jessi, Evan and I have just had such a fun weekend, not really doing much at all! We've watched movies, laughed at the kids running around the yard getting wet in their pools, ate yummy Papa Murphy's pizza and moose tracks ice cream and spicy chicken linguine, played the game Bananagram I can't tell you how many times (and we're STILL waiting for Jaime to win!), drank my Caribou Coffee, went to several garage sales (while I looked from the inside of the car), made a trip to Lowe's to get Glenn's birthday present, and had a patio party on Jaime's deck!

Life is good with family around! It's not often that I get to spend time with the girls and the grandkids without the guys around - not that I don't ENJOY the guys, it's just that time is SPECIAL with just the "girls" around!

Yesterday was Kylan's 1st birthday - we won't celebrate it till today when the guys get back! But what fun to watch him and 15 month old Evan play together! We get many, many laughs! Kylan walked SEVERAl steps yesterday and Evan learned to say Nana - now how special is that? These are the most wonderful gifts I could ever have!

I had really planned to write more this morning but guess what - the kids are up and it's time for pancakes! Jessi is on her way over and it's time to get the day going - I hope your day is as special as mine is going to be!

Friday, May 23, 2008

Fridays and Holidays

It's the Friday before Memorial Day and I always did love 3 day weekends!! Our camping plans for the weekend were nixed because of me - since I just got my cast off Wednesday and am still on crutches, there was no way I was going to consider camping and trying to crawl up the steps to our popup camper on the back of the truck! Just can't do it! SO the guys are STILL going fishing in Wyoming (weather permitting - tornados are on the loose the last couple of days!) and the girls are gathering at Jaime's for the weekend!

So a 1/2 day at work is always fun, knowing you're done at 12:00 - I think I could get used to working 1/2 days!! What do you think boss?

Fridays are always a great day for me as it's "Special Coffee Day" for me - once a week I treat myself to Java Junction's Mocha Caramel Coffee!!! I haven't been in the place since I broke my leg and Glenn has been very kind to stop on Friday's and get me coffee before he takes me to work. But the coffee place changed hands the week before D-Day (the day I broke my leg) and I was praying the coffee would still be as good! I haven't been impressed the last couple of weeks as last week's coffee was minus the caramel and therefore not as good - but I decided to give them one last chance today. So after putting the keys and my money in my pocket, setting the crutches outside the car door and grabbing a to go cup, I managed to get into the place and order my coffee. I watched the new guy squirt the chocolate in (not NEARLY enough) and add the caramel (not even a 1/2 of a shot) and thought to myself this is NOT looking good! He filled my cup to the top and THEN squirted tons of whipped cream on - there was NO WAY the lid was going to go on so I stood there licking at the whipped cream - still can't get the lid on - more whip cream in the mouth - still won't go - then I start to drink the coffee, all the time thinking it doesn't taste great and it's not very hot but I MUST get to work so finally the lid goes on and I hobble out to the car, load the crutches and am on my way.

It took 2 trips to get into work with my coffee and my bag and I get seated and try the coffee again - it was AWFUL!!! I really think he forgot to put any coffee in it - it tasted like warm milk with a hint of chocolate and no caramel taste at all! And for anybody that knows me, they KNOW I detest milk by itself! What a way to start my Friday!! So next week it's FIND A NEW COFFEE PLACE!!

Since we're heading to Denver, I must tell Jessi that a stop at Caribou Coffee (my all-time favorite coffee place) is on my TO DO LIST for the weekend!

And just for the record - after reading a friend's blog for a couple of years now, my daughter Jessi's blog, and my niece Amanda's blog, I have decided to start one myself!! I journal daily, but it has become more of a "what's going on" journal than real writing! Since I can type MUCH faster than I can write - this will be perfect for me! HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!