Let's see, it's June 14. Flag day. I just checked and my flag is flying in front of my house so that's something that's gone right today.
It's been a busy past few days. For one thing - GRADUATION! Yes, we successfully graduated the two 18-year-olds. Arlie and Rylie made it through many trials to wear those caps and gowns. Each of them worked hard despite many challenges and I was bursting with pride watching them graduate. It was a unique situation that day, as family and friends from all sides of the family converged in the theatre to witness graduation. Rylie's dad, mom, brother, friends and some family members cheered her on (loudly!) from the stands. Arlie's mom, grandma and brother arrived five minutes before the ceremony was over and missed her receiving her diploma. She blinked back tears and watched the door the entire time. It sucked. The good and the bad.
We had a nice party afterward. Jeff spent the morning picking up food at Costco. We decided to go simple and order sandwiches and cake. While he was waiting in line, he checked the bank balance. Meanwhile, I was on my way to the airport to pick up my sister. I arrived earlier than the plane (miracle!) and was circling the airport when I got a panicked call from him. We had NINE transactions for $230 each from a photo book app I have on my phone. It prints a book every time you have 60 Instagram pictures. The books are, like, six bucks each. Definitely not $230! Turns out, somehow nine entire series of the books I've printed had been ordered. By what means, I'm still not sure. So, while I circled the airport, I attempted to email their customer service and call my bank to report that my card had been compromised. Yes, I know that's not safe. In fact, I accidentally got on the freeway and had to go several miles out of my way to get back on the freeway and back to the airport. But, I picked up my sister on time and we chatted all the way home. Good and bad.
The day after graduation, I took a two-hour nap after everyone left. I crashed. Then, I accompanied Jeff on a two-hour trip to Leavenworth (a cute little Bavarian town) where he had a Trout Unlimited meeting the next day (I know, riveting). The hotel was less than stellar and a rowdy group of drunken guys shouted outside our room all night long, but someone yelled "shut up!" and they finally did. Jeff left early and I slept in, then got ready and went in search of food. There was a car show in town - but not one of those cool vintage car shows. It was one of those weird European car shows and the clientele was.....interesting. Plus, there was absolutely no parking so I headed out of town hoping to find a little restaurant or something. I had no idea where I was going and I turned toward the next town and ended up taking a huge loop through orchards which afforded gorgeous views but, alas, no food. I ended up back in town and stopped at a bakery that I forgot is kind of crappy so my "breakfast" at nearly lunch time was some dry pastries and a bottle of milk. Eh. Good and bad.
We managed to get the whole family together to go kayaking on Sunday. It was a beautiful, breezy, not-too-hot day and for a few hours we were all together. But earlier that morning some psycho shot 50 people in a nightclub in a homophobic rage so we were all traumatized by, yet again, another senseless shooting and I had to face the reality that I'm raising my kids; two straight ones, one gay one, one bisexual one, in a world that breeds hate for being "different." I listened to them try to express their feelings, their fears and their confusion and I realized I can't protect them, really, ever. Not anywhere or at any time. My almighty power as a mom is shit compared to the evil the world holds. And that sucks. But, ah, that glorious day on the lake. Good and bad.
We woke up this morning to our daughter writhing in pain on our bedroom floor. Went through the requisite analysis of symptoms and decided to head to urgent care. The first one we went to wasn't open (?) so we went to the ER. 3.5 hours, IV fluids, an ultrasound and CT scan later, we learned it was not appendicitis. So, that was good. But also bad because what the heck WAS it? While we were there, I kept feeling the most uncomfortable scratchiness in my boot. I finally removed it and found an earring I've been trying to find for two weeks. We picked up meds and headed home and now the sick one is sleeping it off and I'm in sweats on the couch finding out what it is my lazy kids do all day when I'm not around (Netflix and chill?). I missed yet another day of work.
Speaking of work, I resigned my position yesterday. I have had a difficult relationship with a coworker and, given the opportunity to do something different next year, I knew I needed to make a change to preserve my sanity (and frankly, the sanity of my family who have had to listen to me complain for two years). It was a hard decision because I LOVE my school and my community but after two years I just don't see changes happening and so I took the leap and made a change. And it's kind of a big deal for me because I don't make those kinds of changes lightly. So, I'm pretty torn over it. But today when I had to miss work to take my kid to the ER and I felt guilty about it, I realized that the flexibility I'll have next year will prevent that guilt. And I can really put my family first without feeling like I'm letting someone else down. And yeah, my kids are nearly grown, but this is what's right for me, and us, right now. Good and bad.
I'm supposed to be working on writing every day and outlining my book. I'm supposed to be reading my book club book. I'm supposed to be working out every day. None of that is happening. It's the end of the school year and I'm just getting through the days till it's glorious summertime. Three more days. I have to pack my desk, say goodbye to my co-workers and my students (ugh) and come home to my messy house, my extra time to write and think and create and an open-ended summer with no agenda. It's all good. And some of it is bad. But it's mostly good.
Showing posts with label kayaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kayaking. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Date Night
Did I forget to blog AGAIN? Well, shittles.......I guess this proves that I should never sign up for anything "daily" - except maybe eating. Exercising daily? Not a chance. Daily chores? Ha! Blogging daily? Not so much. Let's just say I'll blog as much as possible. Or just whenever I want to. There, that's better.
Yesterday was "Date Night" with my husband. He's got just enough engineering nerd in him to create very detailed spreadsheets and calendar reminders such that a regular "date night" pops up on his calendar from time to time. It also appears on his spreadsheet of "things to do" which is a quadrant of "today," "this week," "this weekend," and "long term." Or something like that. You get the picture.
So, usually date night ends up being NOT a date night. As in, "Oh, Saturday was date night!" as we realize that we spent Saturday night trolling through Facebook (me) and walking on the treadmill while practicing elk mating calls (Jeff - don't even ask!). So, it's not like we always have a grand plan for date night. And it's not like it HAS to be a grand plan, but it would be nice if it just WAS. So, we try.
Because he's Jeff, my husband always has a segue. As in, since we're driving up North anyway, might as well stop at Cabela's to pick up some ammo and leave $600 later with kayak racks installed on the van. Or, this was my most recent personal favorite, "How would you like to spend a week in a mountain retreat in Colorado?" to which I replied "What will you be hunting?" I'm no dummy. He tries to entice me with visions of spa treatments in the Rockies, but I know where he's headed.
So, I'm usually all to keen to make him take me to a nice restaurant, a movie, or a picnic and music in the park. You know, girly things that have nothing to do with elk calls or shotguns. BUT, I often defer to Jeff's idea of "date night" and last night was no exception. He wanted to go fishing on the Snohomish river to catch pink salmon. Since it involved kayaking, and since he'd brought home a limit the night before, I decided it might be fun.
I really do enjoy kayaking, which is in complete contrast to my absolute fear of open water. But kayaking AND fishing is a whole 'nother story. Because, what if I fall in? Disaster. But I overcame my fear, only to have it replaced by my fear of mortification having people watch me either get into or out of the kayak. Let's just say it ain't pretty. I am terribly uncoordinated and stepping into a narrow piece of floating plastic while attempting to NOT tip it over is not my forte. I require assistance. Like an old lady crossing the street. Only not as cute.
Anyway, kayaking was a blast (never mind the detritus floating around me in the river and my vivid imagination going wild wondering how many bodies had been pulled from that river), I caught my limit (but lost my last one after a brief fight), and I had a fabulous time. The weather was perfect, the sunset glorious, the lazy cows with their sad eyes drinking at the river's edge, the hot air balloons floating overhead, the sky filled with skydivers.........it was all beautiful. And kayaking back to the river bank with my true love paddling by my side, in the pitch black, because we stayed on the water way too late.......it was lovely.
Until we realized the riverbank was gone. Apparently the Snohomish has "tides" and the river rises and falls (what the hell?) and so the narrow, rocky bank from which we launched was now under water. We paddled up to a murky, muddy bank where Jeff leapt from his kayak onto land. Clearly, I was not going to perform this circus act, so I paddled to where the bank had once been and attempted to beach my kayak. But, oddly enough, no beach = no beaching your kayak. Lucky for me, a young boy was holding on to a rowboat while his dad brought the trailer around for loading. I asked if I could hang on to his boat while I gingerly dangled my shoeless foot into the dark, deep, murky water. Ugh. Just writing that brought back my anxiety. Horrible things lurk underwater. HORRIBLE. I stepped onto a slimy rock, grabbed the row boat, grabbed Jeff's hand and made a leap of faith. I landed squarely in the mud, albeit it still standing and slid my mud-caked bare feet into my flip flops.
My feet were filthy, the fish were SO slimy, we were stinky with river water and we ended up eating at McDonald's on the way home. It wasn't glamorous, but it was the most fun I've had on "date night" in a long, long time. I can't wait till the next one!
Yesterday was "Date Night" with my husband. He's got just enough engineering nerd in him to create very detailed spreadsheets and calendar reminders such that a regular "date night" pops up on his calendar from time to time. It also appears on his spreadsheet of "things to do" which is a quadrant of "today," "this week," "this weekend," and "long term." Or something like that. You get the picture.
So, usually date night ends up being NOT a date night. As in, "Oh, Saturday was date night!" as we realize that we spent Saturday night trolling through Facebook (me) and walking on the treadmill while practicing elk mating calls (Jeff - don't even ask!). So, it's not like we always have a grand plan for date night. And it's not like it HAS to be a grand plan, but it would be nice if it just WAS. So, we try.
Because he's Jeff, my husband always has a segue. As in, since we're driving up North anyway, might as well stop at Cabela's to pick up some ammo and leave $600 later with kayak racks installed on the van. Or, this was my most recent personal favorite, "How would you like to spend a week in a mountain retreat in Colorado?" to which I replied "What will you be hunting?" I'm no dummy. He tries to entice me with visions of spa treatments in the Rockies, but I know where he's headed.
So, I'm usually all to keen to make him take me to a nice restaurant, a movie, or a picnic and music in the park. You know, girly things that have nothing to do with elk calls or shotguns. BUT, I often defer to Jeff's idea of "date night" and last night was no exception. He wanted to go fishing on the Snohomish river to catch pink salmon. Since it involved kayaking, and since he'd brought home a limit the night before, I decided it might be fun.
I really do enjoy kayaking, which is in complete contrast to my absolute fear of open water. But kayaking AND fishing is a whole 'nother story. Because, what if I fall in? Disaster. But I overcame my fear, only to have it replaced by my fear of mortification having people watch me either get into or out of the kayak. Let's just say it ain't pretty. I am terribly uncoordinated and stepping into a narrow piece of floating plastic while attempting to NOT tip it over is not my forte. I require assistance. Like an old lady crossing the street. Only not as cute.
Anyway, kayaking was a blast (never mind the detritus floating around me in the river and my vivid imagination going wild wondering how many bodies had been pulled from that river), I caught my limit (but lost my last one after a brief fight), and I had a fabulous time. The weather was perfect, the sunset glorious, the lazy cows with their sad eyes drinking at the river's edge, the hot air balloons floating overhead, the sky filled with skydivers.........it was all beautiful. And kayaking back to the river bank with my true love paddling by my side, in the pitch black, because we stayed on the water way too late.......it was lovely.
Until we realized the riverbank was gone. Apparently the Snohomish has "tides" and the river rises and falls (what the hell?) and so the narrow, rocky bank from which we launched was now under water. We paddled up to a murky, muddy bank where Jeff leapt from his kayak onto land. Clearly, I was not going to perform this circus act, so I paddled to where the bank had once been and attempted to beach my kayak. But, oddly enough, no beach = no beaching your kayak. Lucky for me, a young boy was holding on to a rowboat while his dad brought the trailer around for loading. I asked if I could hang on to his boat while I gingerly dangled my shoeless foot into the dark, deep, murky water. Ugh. Just writing that brought back my anxiety. Horrible things lurk underwater. HORRIBLE. I stepped onto a slimy rock, grabbed the row boat, grabbed Jeff's hand and made a leap of faith. I landed squarely in the mud, albeit it still standing and slid my mud-caked bare feet into my flip flops.
My feet were filthy, the fish were SO slimy, we were stinky with river water and we ended up eating at McDonald's on the way home. It wasn't glamorous, but it was the most fun I've had on "date night" in a long, long time. I can't wait till the next one!
Friday, September 6, 2013
What was I thinking?
Ok, day 6 and I've forgotten to blog twice. What was I thinking anyway? I can't find the time to exercise every day, or clean my house, or get all my errands done - so why would I have time to blog?
Last night, I actually had no plans so I, of course, had an agenda of doing laundry, cleaning my room, making dinner, writing a blog post.....etc. But then, in the middle of scrolling through Facebook, my friend Tonya called me.
Tonya: Hey, what are you doing right now?
Me: Not much.
Tonya: Ok, so I have to go kayaking this weekend and I apparently have to buy some non-cotton shorts or capris or something that will dry quickly. I have nothing like that so I'm going to the mall and wanted to see if you would go with me to give me an honest opinion when I squeeze my ass into exercise clothes.
Me: SURE!
We made a beeline for JCPenney, upstairs to their "fat lady" section. They like to call it "Women's" but they're not fooling anyone. They had a surprisingly good collection of exercise wear, with all manner of yoga capris, wicking fabrics, and t-shirts long enough to cover the hideousness that is a "front butt" in yoga pants. I was just along for the ride and to offer an opinion, but of course I got sidetracked by the $6.99 clearance rack, and, in the end, bought four new shirts and some yoga capris. Tonya did get an appropriate kayaking outfit - black yoga capris and a cute, blue t-shirt (and a few other shirts - hey, they were $6.99!). While she was trying things on, her daughter called. Tonya informed her that she found "something that doesn't make me want to cry!"
In between, we tried on all sorts of clothes, including a dress that made me look like a stuffed sausage and a sports bra that damn near asphyxiated Tonya when she tried to get it on. She also tried on several yoga capris, and found that going one size larger just gave her an "outside labia." And this is why I love her. Who even THINKS up these things? Tonya does.
After the demoralizing experience that is trying on fat lady clothes, we headed to the bar. Because there's nothing a few beers and some artichoke dip can't solve. Nothing!
Diet starts tomorrow................
Last night, I actually had no plans so I, of course, had an agenda of doing laundry, cleaning my room, making dinner, writing a blog post.....etc. But then, in the middle of scrolling through Facebook, my friend Tonya called me.
Tonya: Hey, what are you doing right now?
Me: Not much.
Tonya: Ok, so I have to go kayaking this weekend and I apparently have to buy some non-cotton shorts or capris or something that will dry quickly. I have nothing like that so I'm going to the mall and wanted to see if you would go with me to give me an honest opinion when I squeeze my ass into exercise clothes.
Me: SURE!
We made a beeline for JCPenney, upstairs to their "fat lady" section. They like to call it "Women's" but they're not fooling anyone. They had a surprisingly good collection of exercise wear, with all manner of yoga capris, wicking fabrics, and t-shirts long enough to cover the hideousness that is a "front butt" in yoga pants. I was just along for the ride and to offer an opinion, but of course I got sidetracked by the $6.99 clearance rack, and, in the end, bought four new shirts and some yoga capris. Tonya did get an appropriate kayaking outfit - black yoga capris and a cute, blue t-shirt (and a few other shirts - hey, they were $6.99!). While she was trying things on, her daughter called. Tonya informed her that she found "something that doesn't make me want to cry!"
In between, we tried on all sorts of clothes, including a dress that made me look like a stuffed sausage and a sports bra that damn near asphyxiated Tonya when she tried to get it on. She also tried on several yoga capris, and found that going one size larger just gave her an "outside labia." And this is why I love her. Who even THINKS up these things? Tonya does.
After the demoralizing experience that is trying on fat lady clothes, we headed to the bar. Because there's nothing a few beers and some artichoke dip can't solve. Nothing!
Diet starts tomorrow................
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Beauty IS only on the surface.........
The old saying "beauty is skin deep" isn't really accurate. Because what someone is on the INSIDE is really what counts, right? A beautiful soul, etc.? Well, that doesn't apply to everything.
Like, for example, Lake Washington. Today we kayaked around the lake and it was so beautiful. The sky was blue, the clouds were white and fluffy, there were baby ducks and magnificent birds. The lake was dotted with picturesque lily pads with perfect white lilies. But........
Underneath all of that, was the most disgusting, horrifying, slimy, scary and icky stuff ever. The water was positively thick with weeds, all green and slimy and swaying in a spooky way just under the surface. It was like floating on top of a haunted forest. The "land"scape was dotted with various broken logs, covered in slime and looking like gravestones. Every other paddle dredged up seaweed that hung off the paddle like hair. I tried to shake it off but it just wrapped itself around my paddle. Ick, ick, ick!
I soon figured out that as long as I did not look down, everything was fine. It was serene and beautiful, so peaceful just floating along. Every so often a fish would jump. That got Jeff all excited and he decided to bait our hooks. I dropped my worm in the muck and waited for a bite. But all I caught was more seaweed. Jeff caught two perch. Sigh.
A couple of times I actually got stuck in the muck, and it slowed my kayak down. I momentarily entertained thoughts of my kayak flipping over and me flailing around in the scary weeds. I mean, really, what would I do? Jeff actually practiced flipping his kayak on purpose, so he could ensure he could actually get back in the boat in case of emergency. Me? I figured if I went over in the boat, I was a goner! The minute my leg wrapped around that slime, I'd have a panic attack that would put me in cardiac arrest.
I guess I should really be more prepared just in case. I mean, it's just weeds, right? Shudder. Maybe next time I'll wear my wetsuit just in case.
Like, for example, Lake Washington. Today we kayaked around the lake and it was so beautiful. The sky was blue, the clouds were white and fluffy, there were baby ducks and magnificent birds. The lake was dotted with picturesque lily pads with perfect white lilies. But........
Underneath all of that, was the most disgusting, horrifying, slimy, scary and icky stuff ever. The water was positively thick with weeds, all green and slimy and swaying in a spooky way just under the surface. It was like floating on top of a haunted forest. The "land"scape was dotted with various broken logs, covered in slime and looking like gravestones. Every other paddle dredged up seaweed that hung off the paddle like hair. I tried to shake it off but it just wrapped itself around my paddle. Ick, ick, ick!
I soon figured out that as long as I did not look down, everything was fine. It was serene and beautiful, so peaceful just floating along. Every so often a fish would jump. That got Jeff all excited and he decided to bait our hooks. I dropped my worm in the muck and waited for a bite. But all I caught was more seaweed. Jeff caught two perch. Sigh.
A couple of times I actually got stuck in the muck, and it slowed my kayak down. I momentarily entertained thoughts of my kayak flipping over and me flailing around in the scary weeds. I mean, really, what would I do? Jeff actually practiced flipping his kayak on purpose, so he could ensure he could actually get back in the boat in case of emergency. Me? I figured if I went over in the boat, I was a goner! The minute my leg wrapped around that slime, I'd have a panic attack that would put me in cardiac arrest.
I guess I should really be more prepared just in case. I mean, it's just weeds, right? Shudder. Maybe next time I'll wear my wetsuit just in case.
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