Will I Ever Get Back To Blogging? Absolutely!

AND I'll be making the rounds to your blogs as well, just as soon as I can!  Thanks for hanging in there with me while I get myself moved and functioning again. :)

Of course it's been an adventure, as all moves are.  We were so happy to leave gray Seattle behind and we headed straight to Palm Springs, where we could relax for a bit while we waiting for our stuff to get shipped 1200 miles to our new home in Orange County, CA.

We picked up Nathan and his Dad in Oregon along the way.  We never told Nathan about the move until that day and he was so surprised!  He was thrilled to know that he will be visiting us only in California now as he loves it down here.

Nathan is getting so big!

 

While in Palm Springs, we also entertained my husband's mother who had flown in from New York.  It took her a while to realize that the states out here are not small, so she couldn't just visit a bunch all at once.  Also, she had trouble learning how to just take it easy and enjoy her surroundings without having to run around everywhere like a chicken with her head cut off.  Ah, New Yorkers- ya gotta love 'em!  I let her know that we would not be getting up at the crack of dawn to go, see, and do everything in sight after she woke us up slamming doors and talking loudly in her New Jersey accent on the first morning!  After a couple of days, she did calm down a bit..... and she admitted that it was more fun to hang out in the pool than to try and run around in the summer heat.

We did take in some new sights that we've never visited before in the Palm Springs area.

First we drove way up to Lake Hemet:

Lake Hemet is near Idyllwild and the town of Hemet,CA.  It sits at about 8500 feet above sea level and is always about 30 degrees cooler than Palm Springs.  So on the day we visited, Lake Hemet was a cool 78 degrees while in Palm Springs it was 109.

We also finally visited the Palm Springs tram.  Another place to escape the high summer temps. in the desert.

This is the view from the top, looking down over the desert floor.

And this is how different the scenery is up there in the mountains, compared to what we have going on in Palm Springs.  No palm trees and no desert!

All in all things have been remarkably smooth and we have been blessed to be able to take some time in between the first half of the move and on this end in Orange County.  Nathan and his Dad are now gone.  They took the train home.  Nathan was so sorry to go and he and his Dad have already floated the idea of moving down here too!  Meanwhile, I am surrounded by boxes everywhere and spend most of my days on the phone with service people or changing addresses.  Our place here is temporary and really tiny.  We have basically no furniture.  Our outside surroundings are gorgeous and the dogs think they have hit hog heaven as we walk around the lake area here every day and I still can't believe that I actually get to live here.  Even in the midst of the mess that is our post move current condition, having the sun shining and so many things to do is a great way to spend time.  The unpacking can wait!

My Goodness, How Did That Happen???

Yikes, it's been literally weeks since I've posted anything at all here.  I can't believe it. 
Maybe it was that whole Christmas and New Years holidays thing.  I did actually find myself enjoying the whole process of the holiday season this year....
Or maybe it was the keeping up with homeschooling.  Oh, I'm still learning on that one...
Or could it have been the planning for a great big ol' double 40th seventies themed birthday party?  I've hired my friend, the Elvis impersonator, and yes- it's gonna' be awesome!
Actually I have to admit that the last couple of trips down to Palm Springs have left me sun soaked, adventured to the point of injury twice and yet extra relaxed- dare I say it- even just a tiny bit zoned out of real life.  Heck yeah, even doing detailed cleaning of scrubbing floors and washing windows feels a whole lot better in the sun somehow.  Yes, this doesn't look a bit like my everyday life back in the northwest, but somehow it's beginning to feel more and more like home. 

I'm pondering many thoughts on how this 'California living thing' affects my overall views on life and what this means.  Yes, sometimes I am even capable of deep thoughts while basking in the sun and I'm wondering why it's taken me so long to get to this point.  Ah well, in the scheme of things, 40 years isn't so long to get to your own truth, is it?!

At any rate, it's time to get back at it.  So I think I will!

Not Cool!

Remember how I just mentioned that the A/C in my car went on the fritz for the second time in a month- and just when I needed to make sure it was working because I was headed back to the desert?

It was fixed again and I am gloriously happy that is still working while we are away in Palm Springs.

However, I would love to have you share with me the wonderful moment that I had when I came into my Palm Springs condo at midnight when I arrived here a few days ago.  Just imagine if you will the true disgustingness that is a refrigerator that probably stopped working right after our friends left here a little over 3 weeks ago.  Oh yes, the mold, mildew and the 'thank God that smell stayed inside the appliance and didn't permeate the whole place' aroma of said dead refrigerator was truly unbelievable.  We set our thermostat to only kick on the A/C if the temp rises over 85 degrees when we are away, so yeah let your imagination run wild on this one...

We were able to get a new one here in less than 24 hours and they gladly hauled the old one away for free- so yay!!!!  All's well that ends well.  But come on, you know your week wouldn't be complete without a good old testing of your gag reflexes...

So yeah, in the end I realized that it was a pretty old refridgerator (-OK, not quite as old as the one in the picture below) so I probably might have seen this coming, but dang I am so done with stuff that is supposed to stay cold that doesn't!

Refrigerator by patpichaya, found at freedigitalphotos.net
 

An American Heart: Part I

You may have noticed that I kind of dropped off the edge of the blogging planet here for a bit.  I didn't really mean to, but it happens occasionally.

There seems to be two situations that cause me to have trouble keeping up with my blogging.  The first being a question of time.  Sometimes I'm just up to my ears in work and sometimes I am up to a whole bunch of fun.  Either way, a lack of time equals a lack of blogging.  The second scenario is one that is more recent and may just be personal to me.  You see, I just don't seem able to blog so much when I am up to my neck in worry over whatever in the heck is happening to the country that I love...  (I know, I know.  I shouldn't let it get to me so personally and yet I don't always win the battle to remain positive.)

Recently, I have experienced BOTH of my blogger delaying scenarios.  Today, I will stick with the positive.

As far as the being busy in a fun way, there was another trip back down to Palm Springs for Memorial Day week.  We did make it to the Flower Drop at the Palm Springs Air Museum and it was completely awesome!

There was a solemn beauty in the desert this past Memorial Day as a Mitchell B-25 Bomber was escorted onto the runway:

 

She started up and was off to complete her mission:

The fantastic piece of WWII history buzzed over the crowd three times:

 That third time was the moment of the magical flower drop:

The White Carnations represented our military members lost from and prior to WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. The Red Carnations were for those lost in more recent wars including The Persian Gulf, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pride spilled out in the form of tears for so many in the crowd as we focused on the brave Americans who had given everything that these red and white carnations represented, falling against a perfect blue sky.  I can honestly say that I have never seen anything quite like it.  This really was a meaningful way to spend Memorial Day. 

Home Town Advantage

It seems like everybody does it.  Or should I say doesn't...

What I'm referring to is that one thing that your home town area is known for, that every tourist comes to do, and yet you've never actually done yourself.

Why is it that so many of us do that?  And what does it take for us to finally go ahead and enjoy the thing that our area is known for?

Maybe it's because it will 'always be there'.  I think that for me it's a little bit about wanting to avoid looking like a tourist.  Shoot, I don't like looking like a tourist when I am a tourist...

Anyway this time around, when we head back down to Palm Springs next week, we plan to finally do the one thing that nobody would possibly have taken this long to do.  We are going to play a round of golf!

My husband has played exactly two rounds of golf in his whole life.  I have played none.  Wish us luck!

I'm really looking forward to driving the golf cart!

credit:  Wikimedia Commons

I certainly hope I can drive better than this!

We are so going to look like tourists!

A Memorial Day Option For A Patriot

On this coming Memorial Day, the Palm Springs Air Museum will host its 15th annual flower drop.

The highlight of the ceremony will be a B-25 Mitchell bomber fly-by that drops 3,000 red and white carnations onto the tarmac and the into the awaiting crowd.

Carnations and Mignonette- Boston Public Library

The carnation is sometimes known as the flower of the gods with its scientific name being dianthus.  Dios for god and Zeus and anthos for flower.  

The flowers being dropped will honor all those who lost their lives defending the U.S.  White will signify those lost in the wars of WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam.  Red is for those lost in more recent military conflicts from the Persian Gulf and Desert Storm to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

I can just imagine the resulting red, white and blue effect as the flowers drop from a sunny Palm Springs sky.  

I am always on the lookout for meaningful ways to celebrate our proud American heritage.  What will you be doing this Memorial Day?

The Answers And Peace That I Need

As I stared at a blank screen for the longest time, I went back to view my blog and found a new comment on my last post.  The comment was from Loretta and it got me out of my funk and into finally writing this post that really I guess I have just been avoiding and yet I so need to write.

So I'll start with this:  Christmas was probably the best one we have had around here in at least a few years.  There was no family drama requiring a visit from the sheriff- Ha!  We were blessed to get our gifts early in the form of our fun new puppy and our Palm Springs condo.  I even took a chance and told Santa about how much I want to move to Texas.  He made no promises, but hey it never hurts to try!  We also received some of the best surprise news that we could ever have gotten when we found out that my husband passed his latest actuarial exam- which we were totally NOT expecting.  Yes, one of those exams that require study of at least 300 hours of stuff like this:

With the passage of this particular exam, it puts my husband in a very good position to be a real live actuary by November of this year!!!!!!  We never thought he would pass so quickly as this exam is one many people get stuck on and take over and over.  And really, he just didn't have a good feeling about it.  What a fabulous and welcome surprise.  This also means that as soon as he gets his credential, I will get to start those pilot lessons I've said that I am meaning to take!

So many wonderful things....  My heart is just full of thankfulness.  I can't believe how blessed we are during such a time of turmoil all around us- in the world, in our country and right here at home.

You see, I don't want to seem ungrateful.  I strive to be content and yet grow in life.  I know we ought not dwell on the things that are not as we would like and that many things are out of our control as human beings. 

And yet some things are too big to ignore. 

My sister is still in jail.  I have discovered that she is in need of more help and rehabilitation than I ever imagined.  She is addicted to every form of bad behavior and wrong choice that there is.  She is a very sad and sick person that has destroyed so much for so many.

She has been offered a combination of incarceration/rehab/work release of 3 years and is otherwise facing 5-10 years in prison.  She still believes she can somehow 'beat the system' and has refused the 3 year deal.

I am trying hard to swallow the fact that I actually agree with her in that she should not take the 3 year deal.  I don't think she should take it because I feel that she needs a lot LONGER in custody to keep society at large safe and to give herself any chance at all of actually changing her life for the better.

I can't help feeling like a big ol' bitch of an older sister who has so much in this life and yet would wish her little sister such a tough row to hoe.  I don't mean it that way and I know in my heart that people understand that. 

I need to look at this as an opportunity to expand my vision of what positive change can be. 

And I will. 

In time, I will accept whatever is meant to be for my sister and I will put it all into proper perspective as soon as my heart allows. 

Image found at: posterenvy.com

Robin, This One Is Especially For YOU!

Hi all!  I'm finally gonna' do some catch up here in blogland.  Soooo..... without further ado, it's time for that cutesy dog post I promised.  You've been warned.

On the day we got Tanner, he looked like this:

 

He was a little tan fur ball with a white blaze on his chest, white back toes and green eyes.

On his very first night at home, our dog Hailey was already willing to share her favorite spot with him.

He made himself quite comfortable.  I thought even his little backside was cute.

 Tanner got to meet our nephew Nathan the very next day as we were already on our way down to Palm Springs to close on our condo.  Obviously, Nathan thought Tanner was pretty cool.

We ended up waiting in a motel for days while the kinks were ironed out with our seller.  Tanner proved to be a pretty mellow fellow through it all.

Hailey and Tanner made themselves comfortable in the condo right away.  

They didn't mind the 80's furniture one bit.

When we checked out the dog area at the condo's west wall, we found out that Tanner wanted to help take Hailey for a walk and that he would hop like a bunny to keep his feet from getting wet in the the long grass.

Tanner's ears were flopped over for about the first week that we had him.  He looked like a little teddy bear.  Many people mentioned that he seemed a lot like a 'live' stuffed animal.

 Then one night he had one ear that was starting to go up.  The next morning he looked like this:

He was really starting to look like a Chihuahua!

There was a lot of work that needed to be done in the condo and all that being held in one hand while my husband or I would clean and scrub and move things around with the other hand was exhausting for Tanner.

But he found a really great place to rest!

 Hailey is sweet and will put up with almost anything from Tanner.....

 But when she's done, she's done.....  everybody has their limits!

(This is one of my absolute favorite pictures!)

 We have had so much fun with this little guy.  He is super easy to train and really made this Christmas time special for all of us.  It was a little tough because I took on extra work and then I was also surprised to note how challenging it was to have a big family holiday without our dog Parker this year.  Many people mentioned that they had so many wonderful memories of our Parker and also told me how much they really like our new little dude.  I would never want to put any pressure on a pet to heal a hurt, and yet Tanner has been just what we needed, just as he is.

......and it looks like the green eyes are here to stay!

New Years Plans, A Small Business Rant & Puppy Love...

...that's my life these days, in a nutshell.

Let me explain.

When I got back home from the Palm Springs trip that involved our getting the new (to us) condo all cleaned out and redone to our liking (and ability, in two weeks time) I was presented with a business opportunity.  I was more than happy to jump on said opportunity because my husband and I had already decided that we are returning to our Palm Springs condo for New Years, and taking our nephew with us!  It turned out that we didn't get the last of our deliveries until the Friday afternoon before we left on Saturday morning to come back home.  Naturally that means we need to go back just to be able to see how much we enjoy the fruits of our labor.  AND Nathan- our nephew- is thrilled beyond words that his school calendar this year allows for a sun break for New Years!

So.... it's on to explaining my small business rant. 

It goes like this:  I took on a huge project that will end on the 23rd, knowing that I wanted to pay for my return trip to Palm Springs.  This project is so large that I needed quite a bit of help in order to get it done on time for the customer.  I lined up help right away.  It seemed like a win-win as I knew several people who definitely needed money right now and some of those had helped me out on a temporary basis in the past.  My plans seemed solid.  I'm not a fly by night kind of gal.  I'm extraordinarily reliable and come with exemplary references, etc., etc.

So when a couple of these people turn out to be major lazy asses who are completely ungrateful for the work I've offered and don't care that they are making me look like a total ass hat, well- I'm less than impressed and might or might not have even wished that their inability to pay their rent on time or make the payment on their new roof might cause them to lose said roofs over their respective heads.  Yeah, I can be nasty like that...  I take business seriously and don't enjoy being taken for a ride.  What can I say?

Anyway, there is a happy ending to this situation:  I have been able to take on more of the work than I had anticipated having time for myself.  And I have been able to bring my new puppy, Tanner, with me to the job site with no problems at all.  The people I am working for love him and can't keep their hands off him.  This has resulted in me already being able to pay for the New Years trip and Tanner's social skills are blossoming.  And last night I did get a voice mail from one worker who just wanted me know how grateful she is for the chance to make some money and how every little bit helps, especially during Christmas.  That one phone call did an awful lot to undo the yucky feelings I have had about the people who have said how much they needed to work and then shown up to do so with rotten attitudes or even bailed on me at the last minute.

So, finally, it's on to the puppy love:  Robin, I will post one giant picture post of love just for you in the very near future.  The rest of you can skip it if it makes you want to puke.  I get it.  In the mean time, just know that every last moment I can spare is being spent loving on our dogs Hailey and Tanner.  Hailey is great with the new pup and I have actually found myself wishing he wouldn't grow up so fast.  I am really loving this process of puppy raising that I was so afraid of.  It has been such a true blessing.  My husband and I have not smiled and laughed so much in I don't know how long.  I really cannot express enough how good this little surprise has worked out for us, even amidst our condo chaos and all that is the holiday season.  It feels like this year we're getting to stop and enjoy everything through the new little guys eyes. 

Of course some of that is because if we don't watch him carefully he'll chew everything in sight and pee on the artificial Christmas tree...!

Different Christmas Magic

Yeah it's a little bit weird, I'll admit it.
We've been here in Palm Springs for the past two weeks and my husband and I have yet to really notice that it's Christmas time.

Palm Springs Christmas Trees

Between the beautiful warm 80 degree weather and the fact that we've both been working ourselves to the bone to get our little 80's time capsule vacation condo turned into something a bit more modern, Christmas has really snuck up on us.

I can see now what people mean when they say that it's a little bit strange to be in a place without distinct seasons.  You really have to step outside what you've ever thought of as traditional holidays and just embrace what's new and different to you.  

One thing we remember as completely magical is the tiny beautiful perfect snowflakes we saw in Joshua Tree National Park when we first came to Palm Springs 2 years ago.  It takes very dry conditions to get these; something we would never see in the damp northwest.

Can you see the tiny perfect stars?

We're taking the time to take in what's unique for the holiday season here before we head back home to Seattle in a couple days.  And while I'm happy that I had the forethought to prepare my home early for Christmas before we left for this trip so that I wouldn't feel all frazzled and behind when I got back, I have to admit that the fact that the first person to wish me a Merry Christmas this year was a guy that looked like Jimmy Buffet in a red tropical shirt is probably going to be one of the best memories of the season.