Hang in there with me...

Every morning I wake up with the best intentions of blogging. I have pictures and stories to share GALORE. But it seems that once the day gets rolling, things (and mainly time) gets away from me.

Please hang in there with me. I'm working on getting caught up with some things, settling a few issues I've been dealing with, and checking off a few items on my long overdue "to do" list.

I'll be back soon, promise.

I haven't...

...fallen off the face of the earth, or been put away with all of the Halloween decorations. I've just had other stuff going on that I've needed to take care of.  You know how it goes, right?

I received two discs with more party pictures on them today. I will post more pictures tomorrow, and that, my friends, is a promise. I have a few more decoration pictures I want to post and then it's on to the guest pictures.

Hang in there with me. It's been....well....a little busy.

Protect the animals!

There's a hunter on the prowl around these parts...

I think someone (ah-hm - HARLEY) is taking this Halloween theme of Carnevil of Carnage a BIT too far. 

May we please have a moment of silence for both Mr. Beaver....

and Mr. Monkey.

I'm Fit to be Tied!

RANT WARNING!


If you are one of my Class of 82 alumni friends that has casually mentioned to me, and I quote, "I don't feel like coming to the reunion..." STOP READING NOW. I'm gonna piss you off.

Seriously, stop now, or consider yourself warned...


As the title of this post says, I'm fit to be tied. I have been working my ass off for this reunion. I have neglected my children, my husband and my dogs to get stuff done to make this a success. I have spent countless hours trying to hunt down email addresses, reach out to people on FB and the alumni sites I organize, sent out hundreds of emails, begged for photos for the slide show, worked long hours into the night on the display boards, memorial table, slide show and various other projects, all to make this a fun party for my classmates, who, for the most part, don't seem to give a shit. They complain about the ticket price (if you bought you ticket when they first went on sale I think it was $70 or $80 per person - expensive? Yes, but our reunions happen every 5 years now..they knew it was coming up since 2007)...or complain that the date is bad - they already have dinner plans with Aunt Edna for shake & bake, and they can't change THAT (really? This date was chosen over a YEAR ago AFTER I conducted a poll asking when the best date for everyone was...)


Why do I bother?


Now, don't get me wrong, I completely understand when it is out of their control for financial reasons, health reasons, etc. We all have complicated lives and things don't work out they way we want them to, I get that. BUT, to make the conscious decision to be so blasé  about it,  to just not give a crap about coming or not, well that's just downright frustrating. Some people are coming from across the country to be here, have spent hundreds of dollars on airline tickets, hotel rooms and rental cars in addition to reunion tickets and they want to see their classmates! But nope, most of the locals aren't bothering...WHY?

I.DON'T.GET.IT.


I've paid for my tickets, (no freebies for me, even though a lot of people assume I get in for free) and put so much effort into this...and I've done everything I possible can, including sending out reminder after reminder, setting up the night before activity, and posting hundreds of pictures from prior reunions trying to get people excited....I just can't make people buy tickets.


I know, I know, I've done this to myself. I've set myself up for failure. I hate when I do this to myself. I should know better.

Back in 'the day' the Mira Mesa High Class of 82 thought we were"IT"...We had awesome school spirit that we swore would never die. We were a mighty class of over 600. Yeah, yeah, I know it's 30 years later, but seriously, what the hell happened to everyone? It's sad. Right now we are sitting at about 60 RSVP's. ONLY 60! Barely 10%, pathetic. I have more people come to my damn Halloween party than who are  coming to a 30 Year Reunion! Unbelievable!  

I know there are a lot more classmates out there, and a LOT of them are local. They choose not to come.

I just don't get it.

Rant over.

I am thoroughly looking forward to each and every person who does come. The few, the proud, the ever dwindling Class of 82.

Yucky

Yup, that's the best description of how I feel. Yucky.

Runny nose, sore throat, slosshy head, body aches. All the fun stuff. 

Summer colds suck.

Here I am!

It's Sunday afternoon. Where has the weekend gone? Whoosh and it's flown by! It's been a busy few days around here...from our party on the 4th...where we had a house full.

 The 5th took us to the cemetery. The 5th was the 6 month mark of my Dad's passing.

The 6th took Kona and I to the VA for our normal Friday visit. We are back on track with visiting our Veteran friends every Monday, Friday and every other Wednesday.

We visit with the staff too - this is one of our favorite nurses, Gregg. He has a heart of gold, and the dogs love him!

What? ANOTHER golden in the house? No, just an adorable kitchen towel from our friend Joan.

On Saturday we went to visit our dear friend Valerie in her new home. It's been TOO long since we've seen her and her sweet babies, (and Kona's siblings Joey and Kealani) This is Kealani relaxing under an avocado tree. She is such a doll!

Harley was a happy girl!

Today Hubby and I were on a bargain hunt for Halloween stuff. We did pretty darn good if I do say so myself. Its amazing what you can find when you look. One man's trash is another clown's wig...well, you get the picture.

After the hustle-bustle of the past couple of days, I feel like Kona looks here....pooped.

A Clairvoyant Congressman? I think not...

The following is a letter I wrote to our local congressman, Brian Bilbray yesterday, in response to letter he sent addressed to my Dad on June 21st of this year. I obviously know that it was a computer generated letter, with my Dad's name simply inserted in the blank "name" spot, but to be perfectly honest, my Mom and I are tired of getting these types of things, ESPECIALLY from politicians, thanking my Dad for his recent support, etc. It's one thing when you really do go to a meeting and ask questions, etc., but to send out a blatant bullshit piece of mail, well,  to those of us recieving them, it just gets to be downright offensive.  Anyway...here ya go.

July 2^nd, 2012

 

Dear Mr. Bilbray,

I would like to congratulate you on your spectacular clairvoyant gifts. I knew you were a man of many talents, but had no idea that telepathy was one of them.

 

I wanted to thank you for letting me know that my father, Arnold M. XXXX, participated in your tele-townhall meeting on June 20^th, as noted in the letter sent to him dated June 21^st, 2012. I consider this to be simply incredible, considering my father passed away on January 5^th of this year.

 

If he did, in fact, participate, and was actually ASKING QUESTIONS as your letter stated, I would implore you to share your talents with me, his daughter, as I would LOVE to be able to communicate with my dearly departed father.

 

However, if he did not personally participate in the tele-townhall meeting, as I strongly suspect he did not, I would ask you to kindly REMOVE HIS NAME from your mailing list so that we, his grieving family, will no longer receive such insensitive and simply insulting letters from your office.

 

Sincerely,

Susan A. XXXX

Enclosure (1) - I inserted the letter he sent, so he could see how ridiculous it was to say that someone was there that OBVIOUSLY wasn't...

Too harsh? I think not.

Rant finished. Thank you.

Total Disaster Area

My house is a mess....I can't find my kitchen counter! I think I need a "party planner" intervention! See? I wasn't kidding...

Keeping it all going

I've been so swamped with things lately, I feel like this guy...(advance to about 5:30)

...but he's a LOT more talented at keeping everything going than I am.

Sometimes I feel like all of the plates are going to start to fall, but then I run around like a chicken with my head cut off to keep them all spinning.  It keeps the audience happy...but is it worth it? That, my friends, is the question...

The Best of Intentions

I had the best of intentions of blogging today. So much for that. I got some bad news this morning that was unexpected...but now that I think about it, when does anyone really expect bad news?

Anyway, the day kind of went down hill from there, and so did my enthusiasm for posting.

Hopefully I'll be in better spirits tomorrow.

Distracted

I can't believe that an entire week has gone by without me updating my blog. I feel terrible about it, I really do!

To say that I have been distracted is an understatement. I'd really rather not go into all of what's been going on around the homestead, but suffice to say that my brain has been otherwise occupied, and I haven't been in the best mindset to blog. 'Nuff said about that...

On to a couple of good things...I just wrapped up a pleasant, quiet, and relaxing visit with my boy. AJ was in town for a week for his Spring Break from Purdue. I was thrilled to have him in town, even if only to sit and chat with him, and enjoy some silliness. He is great company, wonderful help with the dogs, easy going, and helps to put the twinkle back into my eye. He headed back to Indiana yesterday, but he will be back for the summer in only two months. Mentally I've started the countdown already.

My knee continues to improve. Last Wednesday I finished up my physical torture therapy visits, so that's good. I've got great range of motion back, and other than it being a bit achy here and there, it's treating me pretty well. The 4 little incisions are healing well too, and I think with a couple of more weeks time, they will hardly be noticeable.

I've found that I still feel like I am under some sort of cloud...and in a funk. I just can't really explain it. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the combination of loosing my Dad, physically not feeling well, and dealing with some emotional baggage that has broadsided me over and over again lately. Yep, I know, probably not the feel good post you were hoping for...but that's life sometimes, right. I remind myself that I've got to take the good with the bad, the happy with the sad, the sh!t with the shinola. Ok, I just made that last one up...but you get the point. Sometimes it just doesn't all smell like roses.

I'm working on shaking the funk though. (That would be the name of my band, if I had a band, "Shaking the Funk...." - my friends who listen to Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw here in San Diego will relate to that...) but the funk is a persistent S.O.B., that's for sure.

In the meantime...I'll just keep hanging in there.

Jesse the Jack Russell

I don't know about you, but I wish I had half of this pup's energy! What a cutie - and smart as a whip! (I love the peppy music in these videos too!)





I've been a bit out of it this past week. The knee has been healing well, but I have been unmotivated, and uninterested in doing much. I don't know why, it just is what it is. This Sunday things will improve though, I'm sure of it. I've got a special friend coming to town who I get to see in the morning, and I can't wait to see him - and Sunday evening AJ is coming home from college for his Spring break. YAY! I get happy just thinking about it!

Hopefully I'll be on the upswing soon.

Under the Scope

I had a bit of knee surgery yesterday. I've been dealing with a sore knee for a long time now, and it was finally time to get if fixed. At first my doctor thought I had a torn meniscus, but the MRI showed arthritis and a bone spur instead. Hmmm, fun stuff.

Here I am waiting to be called back to surgery....

I guess you could say that the surgery has been looming over me. It's been heavy on my mind, to say the least. It's not so much that the actual procedure was worrying me, but more of the not knowing what to expect as far as recovery, etc.

To be honest, I was also worried about going under the anesthesia. With what happened just 8 weeks ago with my Dad, I don't think anyone could question my anxiety...but, as expected, things went as planned, and here I am. Fine and nearly dandy.

I've been getting around pretty good today without my crutches. Granted I'm not up for walking the dogs, or going to Disneyland, but I get to the bathroom and kitchen by myself without any problem. Yay!

Tomorrow I go for my first physical therapy appointment. Oh, I'm really looking forward to that. Ha! Until then, I'll sit, relax with my knee up and savor the sweet smell of the flowers my wonderful friends and family have sent.

Sent from my iPad as I'm sitting on my big @ss couch.

Insomnia

It's 1:37am and I am wide awake.

I hate this.

I have things to do in just a few short hours, and yet here I am, unable to rest. This is getting to be a habit - a bad habit. I've really got to get to the bottom of what's keeping me awake. I know it's more than Hubby's snoring.

I need to turn my brain off.

Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? I wish.

(now it's 3:40am, and I'm still awake....peachy.)

Plans

What is that saying about plans? "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray"...well, welcome to my world lately. I've had the best intentions of getting certain things done, and well, I just haven't done them. I've barely started my Christmas shopping - Yes, you read that right! ME! The master planner of events and parties and all things social....and I totally don't have my poop in a group this year.

I can't quite put my finger on it. I have been very busy, that's one thing. Busy with things I love to do, so at least that's a good thing. I've been working a LOT and it's been mainly out of town. I've not been enjoying an 80+ mile commute each way, but I love my job and I won't complain. I do look forward to getting through January though, and hopefully getting back into the San Diego market.

I've also (at least for the last week or so) been fighting a nasty head cold. I freaking hate being sick! I've got no energy, no "UMPH". I want to sit on the couch in my sweats, curled up with a blanket and the dogs and spend long hours with my newest boyfriend, Dexter Morgan. Oh, I do love my Dexter...I've only known him for about 3 seasons so far (don't give anything away if you are a fan) but it was love at first episode, and it's torture to tear myself away from him.

So...between my cold, and my boyfriend, some other distractions and a couple of other unexpected wrenches thrown in between my spokes, some of the more important things have gotten moved to the back burner of my life recently.

One such "wrench" got thrown at me yesterday. AJ and I had just dropped Jack and Jill off at the groomer. (Kona and Harley went the day before) We'd planned to do some much needed (what else)Christmas shopping, and had just walked into Target. My cell phone rang, and it was the groomer. She told me there had been an "incident" and that Jill's toe nail was bleeding. "No big deal, just put some of that powder stuff on it..." I thought to myself. I told her it was probably fine and to give it a couple of minutes. She said that I'd misunderstood her...the toenail hadn't been clipped too short, the whole nail had ripped off. WHAT? I was on my way.

We got to the groomer about 15 minutes later, and this is what I was given. Jill's entire nail. Gross, I know!

Apparently, the groomer was walking her up into the bathtub and the nail caught on something. Ouch! It didn't seem to be bothering her at all, she was jumping around like a silly puppy, but the blood was unbelievable! I called my vet, and off we went.

Jill came home with her foot completely wrapped after having what was left of the toenail cauterized to stop the bleeding. Delightful. And she got an injection for the pain, and of course antibiotics...needless to say, it was not a cheap morning.

The worst part was probably that she was the one most in need of getting groomed (she is SUCH a fluff ball!) and she can't get groomed for several weeks now. Again, delightful.

So much for getting anything done yesterday. Oh, I did finally pick up my Christmas cards from the printer yesterday. Can I get a Whoo-hoo!! I actually got a bunch of them mailed today too. Hey! I'm making progress.

If I could just have another week to get my Christmas shopping done, I'd be in great shape!

...so where was I?....

I know, I know...it's been a while (again) since I've posted. What can I say? I've been caught up by life. It happens to the best of us...

So, to play a little catch up, I'll fill you in on the last couple of days.

Friday was Pickle's birthday. How my BABY can be 18 is absolutely beyond my comprehension. I am way too young to have my baby be that old, right? (Indulge me here folks!) I gave her all sorts of options on fun stuff to do for her birthday from shopping to an amusement park, to the spa, etc., and what did she chose to do? Go to school, and spend the day with her friends since it was the last day before Christmas vacation started. (Who's kid is this?) Seriously though, she had a huge final she knew she had to take, and didn't want to postpone taking it until after vacation, so she stuck it out and got through it. That's my girl. I was proud of the choice she made.

In the evening we had a quiet family dinner at one of her favorite places downtown (The Old Spaghetti Factory) with her boyfriend, and G-Ma and G-Pa. We are so blessed that my Pops has been feeling well enough to venture out a bit with us here and there for our birthday dinners. It makes the family times together extra special.After a great dinner, we headed home for some present opening and cake. It was great way to wrap up a very nice evening.

Saturday morning I had a bit of work to do and then I did some major grocery shopping, not only in anticipation of our Christmas meal preparation, but because our Boy was coming home! Yep! I had to fill the cupboards because AJ came home Saturday afternoon, and that boy can eat! We wanted to be sure to have all of his favorites, especially things he can't get readily in college, so we did some major stocking up.

We picked him up, right on schedule Saturday evening, and spent the rest of the night catching up, hearing stories of the cold weather, the dorm buddies, and of course FINALS. Needless to say, he is very happy to be home for a few weeks to thaw out, rest up, and just plain relax. I am thrilled that he is here, especially for more than just a few days, as he has been for the last two trips he's made home. Things just don't seem so rushed this time. It's really nice.

I worked a bit again on Sunday, so Hubby and AJ got to spend the day together doing a few little house hold projects, etc. I know that no matter what they do together, they aways enjoy each other's company.

Last night we took our annual walk around "Christmas Card Lane" - that's a nearby neighborhood where several blocks of houses decorate their yards with giant, home made Christmas cards made of 4x8 foot sheets of plywood painted to look like cards, or Christmas characters, etc. It's a lovely sight to see, and we try to visit every year. Our friend Lisa, who lives very close to Christmas Card Lane invited us for dinner and then we all made our way over, dogs included, to see the sights. I am bummed to say that I somehow managed (can you believe it?) to leave my house without a camera with me, so I got NO decent pictures. I snapped this one with my phone, but as you'll see the lighting is terrible. At least you get the idea.Anyway, that brings us up to today...Monday. I was supposed to spend the day Christmas shopping, but I haven't made it out of the house yet. It's 4:13pm right now...it's not looking good. I've falled critically behind on my shopping this year, and for the life of me, I'm not sure why. I feel like it's just a lack of inspiration. It's kind of nice to realize that no one in the family really needs anything, so I guess I ask myself the question, "Why buy just to buy?" and so I sit here, catching up on my blog instead of Christmas shopping.

I have a feeling that will NOT go over very well on Christmas morning...I'm just sayin...

A Bit of a Funk

I can't quite put my finger on it...but something isn't quite right. I've been, it seems, in a bit of a funk lately. I have been in a good enough mood, but down deep, something is a little off. I haven't had much of an interest in blogging, or taking pictures, which are usually two of my absolute favorite things to do..

Last week was weird, flat out, weird. Both of my furry boys, Kona and Jack, had birthdays, and I was a rotten dog Mom and did nothing special. Oh, sure, I gave them lots of TLC and a couple of extra treats, but there were no birthday celebrations this year, not even a picture in a goofy birthday hat....what's wrong with me?

.

I got the long awaited results of an MRI on my knee. It's been bothering me for months, on and off (mainly on). My Doc had been pretty sure it was a torn meniscus and that a quick arthroscopic surgery and a little physical therapy would have me feeling great again in no time. He was wrong. Not a torn meniscus after all. Arthritis under my knee cap and in my joint. Significant arthritis and a strained ligament. What the heck? When did I get old enough to have arthritis?

I think that's got me bummed. I thought this was something temporary and it's not. I got a nasty cortisone shot that stung like an S.O.B., but was supposed to help with the pain for a couple of weeks. That was on Thursday. The pain was back by Tuesday...unless I've blacked out and lost a couple of weeks of time, that was WAY too short of time for the sucker to be sore again. Yesterday morning the pain woke me up at 3:50am. Last night I used a pain patch on it and I managed to sleep from midnight until about 5am. Dandy, just dandy.

I think I might also be suffering from a bit of post Halloween Party blues too. There was so much build up to the party, and it was so much fun, that I'm sad that its over and it will be nearly another year til we have another one. I did get to do a little shopping the day after Halloween though, and got some great bargains. We will be going with a Psycho Circus/Creepy Carnival theme next year, so I picked up these little ditties...its a good start...(I took a bunch more pictures of what I got, just so by the time next year rolls around I will remember what I bought already - but I wanted to post this one just because of Kona's funny little face on the left.) He had that "are you about done with this crap?" look on his face.

Speaking of Kona, we've been busy as usual with our Love on a Leash visits. We cut down a bit in October because of my knee issues and gearing up for the party, but we've gotten busy again and have been going on an average of about 3 visits a week. Today I went on a visit but had to leave Kona at home. I was supervising new teams, and there would have been too much going on with Kona there with me. We had our first ever bunny join our chapter, so that was certainly something different. The dogs did very well with the new little "creature" in their presence....

...and the folks we visited with today enjoyed the little fluff ball too!I've been on a bit of a cleaning/de-cluttering binge lately too, which isn't a bad thing. I cleaned out my closet and dresser, donating about 4 large black bags full of cloths and shoes that I haven't worn since last time I cleaned out stuff. Hubby and I went through our large family room bookshelf, and got rid of several boxes of stuff from there too. It feels good to have the house back in order. Not perfect, it never will be, but it's better....

In spite of the funk I'm feeling, I am really looking forward to next Tuesday when my boy comes home! Hubby was lucky and got to visit him again in Indiana. He was there all week for work, and they got to spend evenings together. Of course I was green with envy, but happy for the two of them. His trip home next week will be short but sweet - he will only be here from Tuesday until Sunday, but I'm not knocking it.

On that note, I'll sign off for the evening, and try to keep a smile on my face and a little pep in my step...you do the same.

By the way...I have no idea why blogger is removing the spaces between my paragraphs, and to be honest, I'm tired of trying to figure it out. Sorry it's a mess.

Fall is in the Air!

I've been so busy these last couple of days that I've hardly had time to stop and "smell the roses" or in this case, to stop and admire the changing season.

Thank you to Doug for sending me this picture of the beautiful changing leaves in the Seattle area. This picture was taken just up the street from where he lives. It reminded me that I need to slow down a little and take in the beauty of the world around me.

The Door

It took me 8 hours to paint this door. 8 HOURS! How crazy is that? I think if I did this for a living, I'd have been fired a longtime ago! Sheesh! Tomorrow I need to work on a LOT more painting...great....


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad because I'm too pooped from painting to sit at my computer...how lame is that!?!

The Long Drive Home - part 3, the last leg

Sedona is absolutely stunning, and paradise for a photographer. Even though we had very limited time, I wanted to squeeze in a few minutes for photos. We got an early start, and zoomed around town and up the 89A north a bit to snap a couple before we headed south, towards Phoenix, and ultimately, San Diego. My camera snapped away, and although I didn't get a lot of keepers, these were a couple I thought were worthy of posting.

Once we left Sedona, it really started to sink in that this was the last leg of the trip home, and that I'd be walking into the house and seeing the left-overs of his room. Needless to say, I didn't feel much like taking pictures for a while. The tears came, and I let them.

Just as we were getting ready to cross the border from Arizona into California, I saw this, and picked up my camera. I liked the serene look of it.

And boom-back to California we are.

Am I happy to be home? Well, yes and no. I am happy to be back to my own bed, back to Bear, my folks, and the dogs, among other things. Am I happy to be in San Diego, when my son is in Indiana? No, not at all. Look for a new countdown clock coming soon to the side of my blog. His flight home for Thanksgiving has been booked and I'm already looking forward to it more than words can say.