7/7 The good and bad

It's been wonderful seeing our old friend, Ron Johnson, these past few days. He, Tim, and Phil were army buddies, stationed together in Hawaii. Ron knew Robbie really well as a little guy, because after I had major surgery Phil had to go to the field and Ron came back to Hawaii and took care of Robbie (and me) until Phil got back.

Plus he was instrumental in us getting Jill. There's a longer story there that I'll save for another time. He's a great guy.

Just returned from Tiramisu where Jan, Tim, Ron, Uncle Bill and I had dinner. Delicioso!

Tonight's article is Michael Jackson media coverage: Stick a fork in it, it's done.

11/27 Happy Thanksgiving

What a wonderful day! There's so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is being with my son and daughter-in-law. The food is delicious. The company even better. Plus they gave me my Christmas present early--and we're playing with it.

I've wanted a Wii since they first came out, and we found the last one in this section of North Carolina. What fun! And such generous souls. I'm a lucky bug.

Some of their Danish friends came for dinner and we had a great time. They have a Wii at home, so they were able to show us some of the finer points of the games.

Tomorrow night other friends are coming over to play poker. Can't wait. I can use a little extra money. :)

11/23 What fun I had

Today was fun. I went with friends to Troy, MO to meet up with tons of other friends from the REC program. REC is Residents Encounter Christ and is a prison ministry program I used to be involved with when I lived her in Quincy and also in St. Louis. Today was the 25th anniversary celebration, so a perfect time for me to see old pals and catch up on everything.

I ended up singing with my friend, Joe, and also with several women pals. Ate way too much, and brought home some great bread from St. Louis Bread Company (known as Panera Bread elsewhere).

Joe and Cindy, I have some foccacia bread for you. Thanks a million for taking care of Gussie in my absence. I know he loved it.

7/25 A BEAUTIFUL video--made me cry

Once upon a time, two friends, John and Ace, adopted a lion cub who was later named Christian. They played with the little guy, exercised him and loved him like family, but eventually, Christian grew up to be too large to care for and his keepers were forced to give the cub up and reintroduce him to the African wild. A year later, when John and Ace went to visit Christian in his natural habitat, they were warned he would no longer remember them, for now he was wild. Check out the moving reunion (and how hot the hairstyles were back in the '70s)!

5/10 Happy wedding day!

I'm sitting at a Bed and Breakfast in Henderson KY with my friends. We're watching Soulja Boy (because I tried dancing it tonight at the reception) and an ultimate belly flop contest that was held at my friend Debbie's house and watched Miss Teen South Carolina's silly silly answer on you tube and Jimmy Kimmel's rebuttal of it. Oh my I've laughed so hard.

Lou and Bill's wedding was perfect and the reception was so much fun. We all love this B & B too. It was great being with friends and I'll miss them, but it will be good to be home again. It'll be another 5 1/2 hour drive, but it'll probably go fast.

Bedtime for bonzo.

5/7 Ugh, yay, and yay

The ugh is that the offer fell through. The guy didn't respond to my counteroffer because of an unexpected expense that he encountered. Shoot.

The first yay is that my sister-in-law Karen sent me tons of books, for grades K through 4. I will definitely put them to good use, Karen. Thanks.

The second yay is that Jill and kids may be coming to visit in October. I guess it's during school break. I am ecstatic. They just need to find some good ticket prices. And I'm confident that will happen.

Oh, and a mini-yay. I was worried about a huge expense that might happen, but it turns out that I worried for nothing. I called my friend Lou in Kentucky and told her I couldn't make the wedding this weekend in Kentucky because I couldn't justify the expense. She said the room at the B&B was already paid for, all the food was free, and all I'd be paying for is gas. She's so smart. She convinced me. And I'm glad, because I'll see several more of my friends there--some I just saw in CA. I'm looking forward to it and it's only a 5 hour drive or so.

The bad thing is that my family is having a yard sale at my house while I'm gone. Wish I could be there to help. And Jan, Jane, Kris, Deb, etc., I'm trying to get my lawn mowed before Saturday. I promise.

4/29 Home at last

It's wonderful sitting here with my two dogs at my feet. Snoring. Yep. They are both so tired from being at Alpha Dog for five days. I'm just glad to be here with them.

But I definitely miss the SoCal lifestyle. It was such a wonderful weekend. And my friends are the best! Plus, what an added treat to get to spend time with Jill, Kayla, and Hunter. I am indeed a lucky bug.

The weekend was a delight from start to finish. And flying home from California I sat next to a woman who currently lives in Bangladore, India with her husband. She asked me where I lived and I said, Illinois. She said, Not Quincy by any chance?

My jaw dropped. She and her family lived here for 8 or 9 years in the 80s. She loved reminiscing about the city, and said she still missed it. What a neat coincidence.

Work was a little slower today so I was able to get some of my paperwork done. Whew, what a relief.

And Pete gets to go home from the hospital on Friday. Another relief.

4/26 Another great day in SoCal

Am in my hotel room with Jill, Kayla, and Hunter. Told Bruce that only my family could trump his performance. :)

Had a great morning with Suzanne and Debbie going to several yard sales throughout Newport Beach and Costa Mesa. Then Nancie and I went for a bonding experience--manicures and pedicures. We then met up with the gang at the Balboa Pier where we ate at Ruby's Diner, a divine greasy spot of heaven. Yum.

Then our boat ride for 90 minutes throughout the harbor. We saw tons of sea lions and tons of famous people's homes or former homes. It was a delightful time. Robbie called me while I was on the boat. We couldn't talk long because it was too loud where I was. And my friends and I all got temporary frog tattoos on the pier. Rob (Hutch's son) got his right on his forehead. How fun!

Following that we went to Torin's beach house. Oh, my what a beautiful spot. And he's such a nice guy. Deb and I went to put the enchiladas in the oven and discovered there was no oven. We called Joanne who called Torin. It just so happened he was upstairs in the family's part of the beach house and he graciously allowed us to use his oven. His daughter Tiana was there and we became fast friends. After my grandkids arrived they all played together. And Bruce's Shannon's kids are adorable....I especially love Kenzie. Kayla said Kenzie was "so cool, Grandma." She played so well with the little ones, watching them and keeping them safe on the beach.

Debbie's enchiladas were excellent. As was Hutch's wine tasting. Yum. I only got to sample two kinds, but they were so tasty. Lisa did a quiz again and will hand out the prizes tomorrow at Ruth's house.

Most everyone is at Bruce's performance. I am sorry to be missing it--he is SO GOOD. But as I said, time with Jill and the kids trumps just about everything. We're watching the movie Happy Feet, with happy hearts.

4/25 What a fun day

I got up at 1:30 AM pacific time, so I'm really winding down fast. My friend Debbie picked me up around 10:45 AM. By the time we got to Newport Beach it was lunchtime. We couldn't find any of our friends so we found a fun spot near the beach and had some great salads. Then we went back to the hotel and up to the sun roof while waiting for my room to get ready. The hotel is a boutique hotel. Rather small and old, and entirely delightful. We went to Joanne's son's beach house which is FANTASTIC and right on the beach. Tomorrow night Debbie is making dinner for all of us there. Jill and the kids will join us then and I'll be thrilled.

Friends joined us and we played games on the sun roof. It was really fun. We all went to our "meeting suite" as well, and caught up on each other's lives.

Tonight we went to the crab cooker for dinner. Absolutely nothing for vegetarians, except a few sides--romano potatoes, cole slaw, and sliced tomatoes. It made a surprisingly good dinner. Everyone else supped on various kinds of seafood.

Then back to the suite where we chatted and drank.

Tomorrow morning early, Debbie, Suzanne, and I are going to some upscale yard sales. Then, Nancie and I are going for pedicures. After that we'll all meet for lunch on the pier at Ruby's, followed by a boat tour. Finally to the beach house for dinner and fun. Jill and the kids are staying over with me at the hotel, and I can't wait.

The weather here is perfect, and the view is even better. More tomorrow.

4/24 In St. Louis

I arrived a short while ago. My flight leaves at 6 AM, so I'll need to get to the airport by 4:30. That's why I'm in St. Louis tonight instead of Quincy.

Jill called tonight, and so did my friend Debbie. I can't wait to see Jill and the kids on Saturday. And Debbie will pick me up at the airport tomorrow morning. I'll be with my writer friends in Orange County until Monday morning (early). I'm sure hoping for a relaxing weekend.

Now that I'm out of Quincy I can start complaining again about my bursitis or sciatica or whatever the hell it is. My right leg felt almost paralyzed when I tried to walk after driving for two hours. I want this shit to end. Okay, I'm done.

Pete is in rehab now. I bet he can't wait until he gets home.

3/21 New home, same blog

Have to hurry. I'm signed on to a neighbor's wireless. Don't know who. Can't connect to Joe's across the street, so I'm "borrowing" someone else's. Can't get my own to work at the moment. Will try again tomorrow.

The trip up here took less than 14 hours, and that's with a 90 minute stop at a vet's in Jackson, MS. The dogs were very anxious and uncomfortable so we got them sedated a bit. They were out like lights. And it made the trip easier on all of us.

When Genia and I (and two very groggy dogs) got here there were so many wonderful surprises waiting for us. More about that tomorrow.

For now--all my stuff was delivered and we are safely ensconced in our new home. The dogs are not used to all the traffic. We lived in a very quiet area, plus they had the privacy fence. Here it's very noisy--close to a busy street with a gas station across the back alley. The dogs won't even go to the bathroom. Yikes.

More tomorrow.

3/18 On the truck

Everything is out of my house. Everything, that is, except the tons of dog hair left behind. Oh my. And to my embarrassment, there's plenty of dog hair being transported to Quincy too.

But the wonderful news is that my stuff will be delivered on Friday. Yes, this Friday. My shipment was last on, first off of this truck. I'm beyond pleased. This means I won't have to take a day off from work without pay in order to be there for the delivery. The cable guy is coming Friday too. Other than having a huge mess, I should be good to go. The phone is already turned on, and I'm calling water and electricity tomorrow to get them in my name. Got a text message from my niece Kris today with the necessary phone numbers.

Things are progressing. And I'm anxious to get going. It's going to be hard to leave here, but I can't wait for the next chapter to begin.

2/29 Wow, busy, busy

Didn't blog yesterday because I spent the night at the Beau Rivage Casino and Resort. Was on the planning committee, and also a presenter, for a conference we held today. And they ended up having an extra pre-paid hotel room from someone that didn't show up. So Genia and I took it. What a fancy, schmancy hotel. I loved it. The bathroom had a huge shower surrounded by clear glass. And also a gigantic soaker tub. It was great.

Today the conference went so very well. My presentation seemed to be well-received. Genia was awesome in hers. So we felt pretty darn good. About 300 people were there. Nice group full of committed disaster workers.

Tonight Genia had a party at her place. We played Cranium and I laughed so hard I snorted.

Just got home. Tomorrow morning I pick up my dogs. Sure miss them. Lots to do this weekend.

2/25 Some things are done

Well, I'm having the movers pack me. The price was right. They're packing on the 17th and loading on the 18th. I'll stay at my friend Caroline's house from the 17th until the 20th. Then the puppies and I will take off.

Elliptical guy has to return during the first week of March to install a new motor.

Paint guy didn't work out. Have to find another one.

Realtor was awesome, but I knew that. She's the one I used when I bought this house.

Floor guy will be here at 5:30 and friends will be here at 7 to play cards. Two of them have to work tomorrow night so we switched our card playing to tonight.

Guess that's it for now. Lots to do. Have to file a homestead exemption. Forgot to do that. It will help the next owner on their taxes.

Then there's my actual job. :) Guess I have to keep working.

Something cool happened though. I got interviewed last week by the local TV station--I think I wrote about that. Well, the reason I got interviewed is because I asked a question of the main speaker at another conference last week, and I invited him to a conference this weekMississippi Gulf Coast. Well, the bigwig is actually going to show up. Chutzpah pays sometimes.

2/23 Trying to clean

It's not easy with two "helpers." Now they're outside in the mud, and I'll have to clean them off. But they sure amuse me.

I put a baby gate in the hallway so that when I get the living room cleaned it will stay clean for a few days, but little Cookie jumps over it as easily as if she were walking. I had tried using two kitchen chairs. They worked for Q but Cookie crawled through the legs. So after the baby gate didn't work I put kitchen chairs in front of it. Cookie still jumped it. She's something. I'm afraid I'll have to put a six foot privacy fence around Kris's yard because Cookie will be able to jump over the small fence on the west side. Oh well, that's what you get with big dogs.

They're both worth it. (Since I wrote that I've given Q her first bath of the day. Can't wait until the grass grows back. Here it not only dies in the winter, it disappears. Now it's starting to show again because it's been so warm. But there's still more mud than grass.)

Tonight Genia and I are going to see Definitely, Maybe. I love Ryan Reynolds, and Abigail Breslin too. Caroline is in New Orleans with her Mom for the weekend, so Genia and I will have to eat popcorn alone.

2/22 75 degrees and storming

It's a waste of a perfectly fine day. Seventy-five degrees--that's my perfect temperature. But it's storming. Tomorrow and Sunday will be either sunny or partly sunny, but only 65 degrees. I shouldn't complain since my family is still in the throes of winter.

Because of the rain the last several days Quincy has gotten lots of baths. She loves the baths as much as she loves rolling in the mud. Cookie isn't a bath fan, but will jump in the tub just because I tell her to. She's a good girl, but still kind of skittish about things. Luckily she loves people as much as Quincy does, so I never have to worry about that. Plus she's a great "early warning system" when people are coming to the door.

So much to do to get ready for the move, but that will make the time fly. Of course, I don't want it to fly too much because there's not much time yet. I sure hope I'm able to get everything done. I'd given notice that my last day of work would be 3/21, but found out that's Good Friday, so it's holiday here since we're a faith-based organization. So that will give me an extra day to get home. I can leave early that Friday morning and arrive in Quincy 12-15 hours later. Both dogs are good travelers, but Cookie hasn't traveled more than an hour or so at one time. I've got my fingers crossed. I've asked either Caroline or Genia if they want to drive with me, to help with the pups. That way they can meet "the family" up close.

We're having a case management summit at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino next Friday. I'm going to do a small part of the presentation, and I'm stoked about it. Should be a good conference.

Quincy's graduation from dog training is next Thursday. Unfortunately she and I can't be there. I'm going to be spending the night at the Hard Rock Casino with Caroline and Genia, because C got a $59 rate. It's the night before the conference. I'm having a private training for an hour for Cookie. She's a well behaved dog except on the leash. She pulls more than any dog I've ever had. It's almost like a compulsion to be somewhere. Poor thing. She pulls so hard that her belly almost touches the ground. It's hard on me too, so I'm hoping Erika (the trainer) can do some magic.

2/18 Home again

Yesterday it rained most of the day. The wind blew and we had tornado watches all day until 8 PM. But we had a short period of time when it was nice, so we walked along the beach and picked up shells for Genia.

The rest of the day we played cards, read, slept, and ate. All in all a perfect day. Yeah. I needed relaxation, and yesterday filled the bill.

We left Florida around 9 AM because I wanted to be at work by noon or so.

It was a near-perfect weekend. I'm so grateful to Caroline and her aunt. What a beautiful home, and Aunt Webbie is a beautiful lady.

But I'm glad to be home, with doggies all over me. It feels good.

Pictures later.

2/14 On TV again

I was interviewed today by WLOX-TV during the conference. A small part of the interview was on the news tonight. It should be on their website tomorrow, and I'll post the url.

The conference is good, and I'm learning. But it's really hard for me not to feel incredibly sad. The need is still there--all over the place--but the money isn't. What are these people going to do when many not-for-profits close? It's rough and it's going to be rougher.

Tonight at dinner I was asked to give the blessing, so I sat at the head table next to my young friend, Jay. After the meal I thanked him for being my Valentine's date.

Tomorrow the conference ends in the early afternoon, then Caroline, Genia, and I are off for Florida. Hooray!

2/14 Valentine's Day

I received a valentine card today. Surprised me. Very sweet. Also got an email from a former beau.

Anyway, today and tomorrow I'm going to a conference--MSVOAD (Mississippi Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster). It'll be informative and also enjoyable since all my friends are going. Yay for that. After the conference ends tomorrow Caroline, Genia,and I are going to Florida for the weekend. It will be a cheap trip too, as we're staying at Caroline's aunt's condo--right on the beach. The bad news is that rain is forecast for the whole weekend. That's okay because the weekend is all about relaxing, and that's what the three of us need. I'm really looking forward to it.

Then back home to work on program closure and the all-important job hunting. I'm still hopeful about Numero Uno, but received a no-thank you letter from the hospital back home. It makes sense though, because it was for hospice and I don't have any experience in that area.

One thing about Numero Uno that really excites me is that besides outpatient counseling, I would be on call for crisis work at the emergency department of the hospital for individuals with mental health needs. This is right up my alley because of my experience with behavioral health in St. Louis, and of course my crisis and disaster work. I've decided I can live on the salary negotiated, even though it's about 58% of what I make now. It will be hard, but I can do it. Plus they pay a productivity bonus,and I'd work hard to earn that.

Guess you can tell I'm kind of psyched about moving home. I absolutely hate leaving here, I love the place and have such great friends. But I miss my family terribly. More later on old-lady angst.

2/10 A near-perfect day, continued

Mass was wonderful today. A new member of the choir--a man in his 80s--sang Amazing Grace as a solo. It was moving and beautiful. Then I found out I was going to have a solo. I was excited and nervous. But it went really well (thank you, God), and several people stopped me after church to tell me how much they liked it. It was really humbling though, because there are so many beautiful voices in the choir.

Okay, back to yesterday. Genia joined us at Hard Rock. Originally we just wanted to sit on their patio and enjoy the perfect day. But we noticed the pool was just down a set of stairs. So we ended up at a table by the pool, surrounded by palm trees and very close to the Gulf. What a location!

We sat and chatted for quite a while, and enjoyed our Starbucks.

Rosemary and Lorena then left (Lorena is young and has a--gasp--boyfriend, so she had to go meet him).

Genia, Caroline, and I stayed at the Hard Rock. Genia and Caroline won and I, of course, lost.

Then the three of us went to Genia's and played cards, ate pizza, and watched the original War of the Worlds.

I got home around 11:30 and slept like a baby.

See why it was a near-perfect day?

Adding some pictures:


Above is Lorena.

Below is Caroline.

And this one is of me and Rosemary.