How can I be halfway through this planner? It feels like I just picked it out! Nonetheless, I turned the page tonight for a sneak peek at the plans I've penciled in for November. It's true that TIME goes faster, and faster, and faster the older we get! The past three months I must have aged a decade because it's never felt this fast to me, ever! And, despite how quickly time seems to have gone by, the leaves this year just seem like they don't want to fall. I've watched them change multiple shades of several different colors in not only my neighborhood, but in every neighborhood to and from work and every other place I frequently drive. But they are still on the trees, and just don't want to let go! Tonight it's cold and rainy, and I wonder if maybe tonight they'll fall off, and ... View Post
Barbed Wire, A Chunk of Cement, & A Cross
I stopped at an estate sale today on my way home from church. Total strangers were sitting behind card tables taking cash for items sold. I made my way through each of the rooms. There was a wedding dress that had yellowed, costume jewelry, clip-on earrings, hand knitted afghans, Christmas ornaments, doll houses... Junk to most of the people who walked through while I was there. Just "junk" to me, as well. Sometimes I wonder what will become of the little treasured possessions I've kept over the years. Will they just be "junk" in an estate sale some day too? Probably. In my top drawer are my old tara brooches from my Irish dance costumes. They bring back so many good memories of my childhood, but will probably be old lady costume jewelry to someone one day. There are drawings ... View Post
Peeing In A Fountain
It's been another evening of flipping pages in the little notebook full of funny stories while raising Rory and Ian, and this one is definitely one for the books! It was an afternoon of errands - a trip to Costco and another to the Commissary at Selfridge Air Base to get some groceries. I squeezed every penny I made, cut every coupon I could, and found every deal available during those single parenting years, and that included hair cuts. The barber shop on the Air Base charged $5 for buzz cuts, and so after the commissary run, we'd head over to the PX at Selfridge for a quick lunch and haircuts for the boys. On this particular day, Rory needed to use the bathroom, and what Mom - single or not - hasn't on occasion had to take her son into the ladies' room to go? Well, for me it was ... View Post
How to Make a “Boy Cheese”
There's a little notebook in the top drawer of my dresser where I recorded fun little stories about my kiddos when they were young. I'd write down the silly things they'd say, or questions they'd ask. Now and then I still pull it out, sit down and skim through it, which alway leads to calling my Mum and my sister Nancy. The calls go something like this, "Hey! Remember the time......" and 30 minutes later we're all still laughing, and remembering other cherished stories. Tonight I was up late when I pulled that little notebook out, so I won't wake either of them up. But just in case someday that little piece of history gets lost, or forgotten, or tossed in the garbage once I'm gone, I thought maybe I'd record a couple of fun stories so that they always have opportunities to read ... View Post
So Long, September!
First of all, I can hardly believe that September is over. It was absolutely thee fastest September I've ever lived through! High's: I finally got to have dinner and catch up with Rachel Sparks. I hadn't seen her since we took a trip with Ian to Chicago and I caught Parvo about 8 years ago or so. Yep. Parvo. Woof, woof! It was fun getting to hear about all that she's been up to over the last 8 years! Rachel went to high school and church with my sons, so it's pretty neat to see her all grown up, and educated, and doing so well - even if it does make me feel old! Took a Friday night and treated myself to a manicure and pedicure! I remember that night well. I needed it. You know - sometimes you just gotta shut the phone off and sit in a massage chair and pamper yourself. ... View Post
Awwwwwwww… See Ya!
Back when my 30-year-old son, Rory, was a 2-year-old Rory, he would say goodbye like this, "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....." and then a quick, "SEE YA!" He would hold his awwwwwww sooo long that he couldn't help but giggle halfway through it. We all loved that so much. Rory's extended "awwwww" is how I feel about the summer coming to an end. I don't want it to, but mostly because I can't stand driving in those snowy winter months. I-94 is bad enough in the summer. Add snow and ice to the mix, and .... well, I can't wait till that's over. Speaking of I-94, I have a 27.9 mile ride to work every day, and then 27.9 miles home. That drive is roughly 45 to 50 minutes, and it seems like each week, I try to dream up some new way to schedule all that I need to get ... View Post
Talking With A Mouthful
Tonight I ate scrambled eggs, sausage, and cinnamon raisin toast for dinner. And I know that my Mum taught me not to talk with a mouthful, but... I did! I talked with a mouthful! Doesn't everyone have that one friend who, there's NO WAY possible to catch up on all that you have to catch up with, over just one dinner? That's my friend Robin. I don't see her frequently. I sure wish I could, but we're both in seasons of life that just don't make that possible. So we pick up easily right where we left off the last time, and tonight that's just what we did! And we always laugh about having so much to catch up on, that we just have to talk and eat at the same time, or we just might be there so long that we close the place! But we actually ended up doing both! Work, home, ... View Post
Confessions of a Registered Nurse
Well, hi there! How are you today? How are things going? Are you feeling well? Eating enough? Taking in enough fluids? And, how are your chemotherapy treatments going? Just a few of the many usual, impersonal (and invasive) questions I must ask my patients within ear shot of several other patients. Some answers are short, sweet, and to the point. Some people just want a blanket, a pillow, and a closed curtain - some alone time to nap, and to be away from the world for a few hours. And that is O.K.! But then there are others. And this week, I think I met all of the others... "How am I? How am I? I'm an emotional mess!" followed by some forced, quiet laughter. "I'm leaving later this week to drive my son across the country for four years of college. He's my only child. I ... View Post