Opening for Elvis

They rescheduled the Summer Reading Program Kickoff, so as I left work and hustled over to that I sent up a quick prayer. "Please God, let me find a place to park in the library lot." My hip was hurting all day and I just didn't think I had it in me to gimp any farther than I had to. "And please God, help me to play well today. I am bone tired and haven't had any time to practice. I don't want to make mistakes and embarrass my band mates." As I drove into the library parking lot, not only did one spot open up, but two! "God, you are so generous-I have my pick of spots." We set up for our performance as the magician played to a full house on the opposite side of the room. We had to be very quiet, so as not to disturb him. No warm up time. So imagine my surprise as I went to play my first song and NOTHING would come out. I suppose if I blew hard enough, I could have managed a squeak or a squawk. I looked the old girl over, and found a couple of loose screws, so I tightened them down and was sure that had taken care of the problem. NOTHING, still.....I had to laugh at the way God answered that prayer. It must be that I was going to stink it up that day, so He just prevented me from playing! And in case you are wondering how this ties into my title for this entry, Elvis performed after us!

Holly went for her urine recheck. If I had to guess, I would say the infection has not cleared, but we have to wait a few days for the results. She finally seems to be getting the hang of ringing the bell to go outside. Did it on her own several times this week. Just been busy putting the kitchen back together and cleaning up mess. We bought bar stools-and I love them! Haven't got Nate's grades yet......It has been rainy. Our yard is full of weeds and bugs.

That is all that is new for now. Keep commenting-I love to hear from you!

Good News

My biopsy came back with all samples benign. Very thankful! Got my toes painted today. Bright red-reminds me of mom, with glittery sparkle-reminds me of dad. I'm happy.

Quickie

Have just a little time before work today, so thought I'd write. Kitchen is done! Yeah!! I have all but one box unpacked and put away. Pictures will be posted soon. Holly has an e-coli infection in her bladder. I'm so thankful it is something treatable and not a tumor or defect. She is finishing up a longer round of antibiotics and then back to the vet for another clean urine sample (which she does not like). I had some calcifications show up in my mammogram this year, and a biopsy was recommended. I did a needle biopsy yesterday-nerve wracking, but not too painful. I am feeling pretty good today. Should have the results today or tomorrow. We went camping again this weekend. Close to home this time. Had some beautiful weather, so we floated in the lake and played on the sandbar in the river. Jim fished a little and we rode our new bikes. I put a basket on my bike and Holly even rode with us. She's no water dog (gets chilly easily), but she did enjoy playing in the river. You can't even tell she was groomed a week ago, she is so grubby. Bath time today! I was supposed to play my clarinet at the Summer Reading Kickoff last night, but right as I was supposed to leave, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued. It was quite a storm, but I'm thankful we had minimal hail and not much damage. It sure did rain hard though. I'm glad I wasn't sitting outdoors on a stage when that hit!! The busy season is upon us at work-I came home exhausted yesterday. Story times don't start until next week, so it will be even busier then. Noah is off again with his girlfriend, Kristine. Nate is taking his finals this week. So that's about all I know for now. Until I have more time.....

Overdue

Hello everyone. This has been the longest period of time I have gone without updating my blog. As you can guess, it has been quite busy. The kitchen remodel got started, and it has been trying. It should be wrapping up next week though! It looks amazing. Our bathroom remodels are lovely, but it looks more like an update. The kitchen looks completely different as we painted the cabinets and added an island. The bathroom remodels didn't seem as painful because we did them one at a time and still had a functional bath. Also, not as much stuff to unload and store during that time. It has been hard to be without a kitchen for almost 2 1/2 months and the mess is a little overwhelming. I am not complaining, because I am so thankful to be able to do this, just letting you know what it has been like.

The other big news around here is the new addition to our family. Her name is Holly and we brought our puppy home in March. It is like having a baby again! We have spent so much time and energy potty training, teaching commands, walking, and playing. She is a really good and smart dog and we love her immensely. Recently she has developed a potty problem and the vet is trying to figure out what is going on. So we are on our third round of antibiotics. Poor thing. Holly is a MalShi, so she will only get to be about 8 lbs. I have found I prefer having a small dog! She also does not shed, which I also like!

Other family news includes Nathan getting a job at Pet Smart. He cares for all the small animals (feeding, cleaning cages). He seems well liked and they are giving him good hours and training him for other positions. He also signed up for 15 CR at the local community college. One class didn't work out well, but hopefully he will finish strong in the other two. Noah did go to Vegas over spring break with his buddies. He is back together with his on again/off again girlfriend and visiting her in Minneapolis this week. He moved and lives in a nice new house in a much safer neighborhood. Noah is not coming home again this summer. He has a good job at the bank and is taking 3 summer classes to try and graduate on time. Jim and I went to the Pella Tulip Festival last weekend. It was something I wanted to do for years. Unfortunately, the weather was really cold and windy and rainy. Still we made the most of it and enjoyed what we did see. We especially enjoyed the Dutch pasteries! Jim and I bought some new bikes. They haven't got much use yet due to the weather, but looking forward to better days. We are busy making summer plans. Hopefully getting together with family and another trip to CA in the works. And of course, more camping with our new (used) camper. Then in the fall, I will be having surgery again. Time for a hysterectomy. Really not looking forward to that!

So that is about all I can think of right now. Thanks for taking the time to read about what is new with our family. It means you love us and care about what is going on and that means so much to me!

New Wild Olive Tee

Go to www.wildolivetees.com to order the new Hope for Haiti tee. It is really gorgeous and 100% of the proceeds will go to help the people of Haiti through Eyes Wide Open International.

Valentines Day

We keep plowing through the month (literally-it won't stop snowing), even though I'm stuck in LOW. That's right, still having trouble with SAD, but I've been exercising and it does seem a little better. Still moving in slow motion trying to pack the kitchen, but I had to buy more boxes so I am making progress. My Valentines plans are to go to see the musical Chicago with friends. Don't know if Jim will be adding to those plans or not? Here is a picture of the current love of my life. Isn't she so cute! I am like a new momma buying stuff for my baby to come home. I hope I'm ready for it all!

Not much else is new to tell. I have been working hard on finding a sink/faucet combination that will work. I find the sink at a good price, and the faucet I have picked out won't work. I find a faucet that will work, and it is VERY expensive. I finally found my faucet the other day, and now I found the perfect sink, but it is pretty expensive. I should just buy it and stop going round and round-I have other things I need to move on to. Things like tile and hardware and disposal and lights.....and laundry and bills and vacuuming and cleaning the bathrooms.....maybe that is why I have SAD-I lead such an exciting life!

Jim had a quick business trip to San Jose. He came home yesterday and promptly tossed his cookies. Despite all the spraying and disinfecting, my stomach isn't feeling too well today. Nate is also sick. Went to the doctor and is now on medicine for a sinus infection. He also went to the community college and got more information about attending in the spring. He made an appointment for testing next week and then he can sign up. I hope all goes well there. Noah was home overnight this week for a dentist appointment. Quick trip, but always good to see him.

I really need to start getting stuff around for my taxes. Haven't even started. Noah wants his tax refund pronto, so he can go to Vegas for spring break. Nate was disappointed he isn't getting anything back. They didn't take anything out! He is still looking for a job and getting very discouraged (which means he isn't looking very hard because he has given up hope). Pray he finds a job soon.

Well that's about all for now. Have lots to do, so better keep doing it! To leave a comment, just click on the comment button at the bottom of this post. I LOVE comments.

Rough January

I'm having a hard time this year. I usually suffer with a little SAD during January and into February, but this year has been the worst. Perhaps because the weather has been extra gloomy or maybe it is just me, but all I want to do is lay in bed and sleep. And I can't even do that comfortably, due to my back pain from shoveling snow! Consequently, I haven't accomplished much, and I really need to. I only have one cupboard unloaded in the kitchen, I haven't even looked at tile, and I need to buy a sink and garbage disposal and lights and faucets and hardware....... I'm behind on laundry and paperwork AGAIN. I really need to SNAP OUT OF IT! At least I have an idea of what I want to do now. The brightest spot of my month has been the pictures and video of my new puppy. She is getting big and fat! We named her Holly and pick her up sometime in March. I've been reading training books and buying some gear getting ready for her to come home. Jim is still not very excited-he feels emasculated because she is not a big hunting dog. He will love her to pieces once she gets here though! I've gone Miche bag crazy this month. Invested in a black purse and three shells. It's working so well for me, I just ordered a brown bag and four more shells. If you don't know what a Miche bag is, it is a purse that has interchangeable shells on the outside. They attach with strong magnets, so instead of changing your purse, you just change the shell. I'm just getting rid of all other purses.....according to my guys, what do I need all of them for anyhow? I've downloaded a couple of books on my Kindle and I love it! I need to get a protective cover though-it isn't very cool carrying it around in the cardboard box right now! It is super easy to order and so lightweight to hold and read.

Haven't heard much from Noah since Christmas. He's busy with 18 credits (I think) and working closer to 30 hours a week. He is planning on going to Las Vegas with his friends for spring break. We'll see..... Nate is still struggling with his job hunt and some consequences are starting to come down, which is prompting unrest in our house. He says he is going to sign up for classes in the spring. Again, we'll see.....My job is going fine, but the city is already having some financial woes, so I'm feeling uncertain about my future. I hope I'm not facing what I went through last year. That really took a toll. Sometimes I think about finishing off my degree, but it would be tough financially with both boys in school, and I'm getting OLD. Well I should get off the computer and get to work. Please leave a comment if you read this blog. Sometimes I feel I am doing all this and no one even looks at it!