Fun Times

Ken and I had a blast this weekend. We stopped at one of the casinos on the way up. I played some blackjack and left with what I started with. It was a lot of fun. Then we headed to our hotel. It was right in the middle of downtown Palm Springs, only a block off of the main street with all the activities. We walked up and down the block trying to find something to do. Ken had seen an advertisement for a bar with dancing. But literally there were bars up and down the whole street. What we found was a great little karaoke bar. You know how much I love those. It wasn't very crowded and the people were all so nice. A bald gay guy singing the hits of the Carpenters, a gay couple singing Rebel Yell, a 70 year old woman singing Patsy Cline, and on and on. We all just sang, laughed and drank all night, it was fun. I sang about 5 songs on Friday night. We went back to the hotel around midnight (because I thought Ken was bored, later he said he wasn't and wished we had stayed longer.) Saturday we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast, then headed to the Tram. It is this huge revolving tram that takes us to the top. It takes about 15 minutes to make the trip. Once up there we hiked around. There was a short nature walk (I wasn't up for anything too strenuous. "Accidentally" wore the wrong shoes.) It was beautiful and peaceful. So quiet and serene, not crowded at all. After that we went to a couple of casinos in the valley. I played blackjack for a couple of hours. Again, left with a little more than I started with ($10). We had dinner in downtown Palm Springs and headed back to the karaoke bar. Kind of funny, many of the same people were there. Since your name comes up when you sing, everyone knows every one's name. By the end of the night, we are singing and dancing and hanging out like old friends. There was a group of "young chicks" celebrating a birthday. So, I joined in and took a shot with them. The whole bar sang us the birthday song. She was 28, I am 45, yet we were kindred souls. Saturday night was the best. I sang about 7 times (I honestly lost track.) I sang California Dreamin with the DJ, I sang a Journey song with some random guy who walked in and wanted to sing with me, the whole bar sang along with Bon Jovi Living on a Prayer. AND Ken got up and sang Don't Go Breaking My Heart with me. It was just so much fun! Next time I am with you and you want to do something fun, let's go sing karaoke. I LOVE IT!

We slept in on Sunday, had a leisurely breakfast. We stopped at a casino on the way home, but couldn't find any $5 tables, so we didn't stay too long. We got home around 2, and took a nap. Now, Megan is off to find us some food.

And, I didn't see one person going into the pool with slippers on. It was a fantastic weekend. Thanks honey, the best birthday in a long time. Maybe since the big 40th party, or the time we had the Month of Birthday, or.... well, you get the point. I'm a little spoiled. Next time I bitch about him, smack me.

Remembering the good times makes me laugh, yeah yeah

So there are two versions to this blog, the short and the long. I will start with the short, and if that is all you want, then stop reading.

SHORT STORY:
We are going to Palm Springs for the weekend to celebrate my birthday.

LONG STORY:
The first time I lived in CA (not the first time with Ken, but the first time ever) I was about Michael's age. We lived in Huntington Beach. My dad, who is quite a bit like Ken, liked us to "experience" the places we lived, so he took us for day trips here and there. He took us to a taping of a TV show, he took us the World Series, we went to Disneyland a bunch of times. He's a good guy. Anyway, for some reason or another he decided (business I think) that we needed to go to Palm Springs. It was just Dad, Mom and me. I was a typical teenager and was sure it would be boring. We met some people at a resort (probably the same one Ken and I are staying at, since it is advertised as one of the oldest resorts in the area.) I was in my cute little bikini enjoying the pool (yes, I could wear a bikini back then and not make people want to throw up.) I did notice that the age bracket for guests at this particular resort was a little on the "old" side. My mom and dad even looked young compared with these people. Now, to really get the feel for this story, you will need to go all the way back, back to the late 70's. All of the water toys & equipment we are familiar with were not even a glimmer in the inventors eye. Back when flip flops were thongs and I looked OK in a bikini. So we are sitting at a pool side table enjoying a riveting (boring) conversation and I was people (old people) watching. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something odd. A gentleman was walking around the pool deck in his bedroom slippers. OK, so maybe the concrete was hot. But then, he just walked right into the pool, slippers and all! I tried to get someone's attention. I knew my mom would think this was as hysterical as I did. End of story, I finally interrupted the "adult" conversation and blurted out, loud enough for everyone (even the old man now in the pool with slippers on,) "Look at that crazy old man wearing slippers in the pool!" Now, this is probably the inventor of water socks, and he has left his children and grandchildren millions in inheritance, but, at the time, I thought he was just a crazy old man.

END OF LONG STORY:
Ken and I are going to Palm Springs for the weekend to celebrate my birthday. Hope Ken doesn't wear his slippers into the pool.

You're only as old as you feel...

Back in "the day" I used to be able to drink and dance the night away at the state line hot spots. $3 cover, free drinks from 8-9, and dancing til 2. Now, I've been hanging with the "young chick" at the karaoke bar several times, and I kept up pretty well. So, when they said, let's go dancing, I said, "you betcha!" We met around 8:30, had dinner and a few drinks and the music started at 9. At first it was ok. I didn't know any of the songs, but I could shake my groove thing with the best of them. But, as the evening progressed, and the crowds gathered, and the music got louder and louder, I started thinking, maybe I'm not as young as I think. By 11:30, Ken was done, and I hate to admit it, but so was I. My ears were ringing. I didn't drink nearly as much as I normally do at the karaoke place, but my head pounded. Sunday morning, headache remained, and was joined by some seriously achy joints. Could it be that a few hours of dancing had taken such a toll on my body? I think yes.

I did have a good time, and loved dancing with my friends (Ken only came out one time, whatever!) There were 5 ladies who danced together, and we had fun. Maybe I need to find an establishment that plays "retro" music, and caters to a "more mature" audience. We'll just have to keep looking.

If you are unhappy at work, ENJOY THE WEEKEND!

I have started embracing this principle. Things at work just keep changing. Uncertainty is in the air. There is only one (1) manager left on the team from when I started 3 1/2 years ago. I guess I'll just keep showing up until they tell me otherwise.

So, back to the weekend. We had a good time with Jake & Megan on Friday night playing pinochle. Reminded me of good times with my mom. The kids were laughing about some silly thing they saw on YouTube and Ken was trying to keep up. I just sat back and enjoyed them all. Today Michael had a soccer game. They lost again, but Michael had a good game, and played the whole first half and about half of the second half. One of his good friends (who also has issues with playing time) had a great assist on our only goal. Makes the "benchers" feel good when the only goal was scored when they were in the game. After the game we came home, and in hopeful anticipation, started going through the house. We each started with our bedrooms. We took 8 big garbage bags of clothes to Goodwill. The kids also did some deep cleaning, that just means move the bed and vacuum. While it was work, we were all in good spirits and talking about "when we move."

Tonight Ken and I are going out with my friend Bekah (from Ken's work) and some others. I'm not sure if any of the party pooper "young chicks" will show up, but that's ok. We'll dance the night away.

Michael has another game tomorrow (not too early). Then we'll just relax and get ready for another week at work.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Post your comments and let me know what's up.

Movement toward Movement

Ken had some "frank" conversations with the BSA Western Region honchos. He said he was interested in ANYTHING - ANYWHERE. He reiterated our personal issues (age of our kids) and his understanding that the economy and other factors will make it nearly impossible to make goals next year. So, he looks good now, but is realistic that it won't last. So, we have a limited window (since they only look at current performance and nothing more) in which to leave. Les (Ken's boss) has talked with Regional people in the South and Central Regions as well. There are openings in SC, GA, OH. BUT....they also sent him the profile "what the perfect candidate will look like" for the Tacoma council. It literally looked like they knew Ken, his experiences and his leadership style when they wrote it. IF the Regional Exec. can be convinced to push Ken as the best choice, this is a definite possibility. Ken thinks that the fact that he is willing to leave the Region might help him. The next few weeks should be interesting. I'll keep you posted.

The Heart vs. The Head

I have found that one of the biggest struggles that you face when dealing with grief and the loss of someone you love, is the heart vs. head struggle. Even from the night my mom died, my head knew that it was probably best for her as she had been so unhappy, uncomfortable and not herself for so long, but my heart said, "NO, not my mommy! I need her." The issue with donating her eyes was the same. I knew it was a good thing. I knew it was what she would want, but my heart kept rebelling at the thought that she wouldn't need them anymore. And it just goes on. Each new day I face my head is saying one thing, and my heart is still broken and empty and dealing with the fact that she's not coming back. I can't call her, I can't give her a hug, hear her voice, make her laugh. It is almost overwhelming for me. You hear, and think, that it will get easier with time. But, my heart says, "Passing time just adds one more thing that you can't share with her." She would've loved watching Megan in her play. She would be just as mad as I am about Michael's coach sitting him for an entire game with no explanation. She would be sit up straighter with pride every time she heard Jake play. Now all I know, is that she isn't here to share these moments. As one person moves on, it just reminds me that we all need to move on. Again, the finality. She is not coming back. I don't judge others for taking steps forward, I admire the ability. Maybe because we were so far away, and yet her and I were so close. I didn't get to say my good-byes to each of these little moments when others were. They probably were thinking I was so uncaring and callous for not realizing these were good-byes. I just kept holding on, as I still am. Pray for help in keeping memories of happy times. Pray that I can release my unhealthy need to hold her to this world.

I think my head needs to win this battle. I feel like my heart won't let it.

WARNING: Boastful Mom Ahead

So, you have been warned, and yet you continue to read. I'm guessing you love my kids nearly as much as I do.

We went to Megan's play last night, and I have to say, she should be in Hollywood. Wait, we're very near there and I am begging to leave. Anyway, I digress. The play is a series of skits that all tie into one theme. The kids in her production company wrote the whole thing. It was hysterical. The overall theme is very realistic....Aliens have landed at Trabuco Hills High School and are observing adolescent life. Megan wrote one piece about a really bad sunburn and how the aliens mistakenly think this person is one of them. It was cute. She was the "star" of several skits. She was the reader obsessed with the Twilight series of books. She was a newscaster who keeps reading the wrong script. She was so perky and smiley, it was really funny. She interviewed one of her friends who is more than a foot taller than her. She stood there and looked up, then got a chair and stood on it. It was funny. I will send pictures to Favorite Uncle Ken to load onto his website.

So funny sideline. Her dentist, who helped with her gorgeous smile, has a daughter in the play as well. Apparently he leaned over when Megan came on stage to boast about his work to his family. "Those are my teeth," he said. Megan has commented that her school pictures this year are great, because she has "great teeth." I guess all that money was worth it. We'll see what he can do with Michael, who has chipped yet another tooth. I'm not putting too much moola into that mouth though. Sports are really hard on teeth, as are scooters, bikes, skateboards, cupboards, friends, dogs..... That one is just an accident waiting to happen. You'd think since he's so athletic he'd be more coordinated, but the fearlessness makes him make bad choices. We're working on that.