What I did on my Memorial Weekend vacation

We had a great trip! It really feels like many little trips, because we packed so much into a short time. Pablo and I took off about 1 PM on Thursday. We decided to stop at the Atlantic Cemetery on the way - to honor the Bullock family who have passed on, including our baby boy Patrick George, 12/2/91-12/8/91.

We stopped in Greenfield and purchased a nice planter of fresh flowers to place on his grave. When we turned in to the cemetery, we stopped at the hose to water the thing. When we stopped at the top of the hill at the Bullock plot, to hop out of the car with Odie to place the flowers, a lil old guy came buzzing up on a golf cart that was about as old as he was to say "No Pets - didn't you see the sign?" No I didn't. I've been taking pets to that cemetery for a long time. We snapped off a quick picture and put the offending wiener in the car.

Then it was back on the road again. We got to Kearney, Nebraska around 6ish. It was hot. We checked into the Microtel - a nice little place for under $60. Then it was off to our very first Cabela's - Paul's hunting supply/clothing mecca. In fact he loves it so much we have a Cabela's Black credit card - and earn points on it - so Pablo says we get "free" stuff from Cabela's. Ha! Since the olden days when we used to drag our young children to this store, they've built many huge showplace stores around the Midwest - and this one now looks small and dingy!

Fifteen years ago or so, we'd stop there on our way to Vail and we'd bargain with the kids - shop for a while and then we'd find a playground. They had eyes like hawks when it came to scoping out playgrounds! Paul found a nice pair of boots at the store Thursday - free (and he thinks I have lots of shoes...).

Friday it was on to Denver and Marczyk's where Amy works. We hung out - a clerk helped us scope out stuff for my Aunt Marty and Uncle Bill for letting us stay at their place. Bacon chocolate candy bar, chips and salsa and more! We got wine for Cindo and Boldie. When Amy came out and was properly greeted by her canine sissie we bought sandwiches and ate them in the little picnic area outside the store, then it was off to the mountains - with a shopping stop in Silverthorne at the Outlet stores where they let you take doggies into shops! How cool, said Odie.

Got to Lefebvres house in Edwards, just past Vail around 4:30 PM. Cindo was busy whipping up chocolate bread pudding. Colby, the chef fantastique was assisting. Yum! Paul started in on Coronas while Amy went for a run. I had water until switching to a vodka lemonade bevvie. We were all pretty lit by the time Bolder got home. Menu: Colbs made some French bread toasted with a fancy name chopped tomato/salsa like stuff, and another with cheese and 3 kinds of mushrooms. For supper: steak with lobster butter, broccolini, salad with a caesarlike dressing. And then the warm bread pudding with ice cream. Odie even had broccoli. Damn they can cook!

Breakfast at their fave place the next a.m. So good to see Colby - he's really turning into a nice kid. He seems so worldly too - knows a lot about a lot of stuff. Amy gets along great with him. We all wished Jud was there with us. After we took off, we stopped and shopped a bit more - Amy had the best luck. When we got to Denver we went to a huge super sports store REI - it was cool. All those sporty people.

We ate supper at a cool retro restaurant named Steubens that was walking distance from Amy's downtown apartment. I had a drink whipped up with several ingredients include lemon, raspberry? and honey - in a martini glass. The next day we did this interesting historical tour of Denver - on a corny bus that looked like a shack and whistled and neighed like a horse. It was fun and informative. Denver is sunny 300 days a year and Colorado is the 2nd fittest state behind Hawaii - and all those people were outside yesterday.

The topper of the weekend (besides seeing my fam) was last night. We had to concert - walk down memory lane. Bands of our youth - Kansas, Styx and Foreigner. I talked about them a few blogs back. We stopped at this liquor superstore and got Twisted Lemonade that I liked. We chugged 'em going into Red Rocks - slow traffic as the show was SOLD OUT! Yeah baby old people know how to rock!

Then we had to park on the road into the venue and hustle our asses up there over hill and dale - my 52 year old butt. Because of the slow traffic we could hear Kansas playing! Hurry...and there were stairs - lots of them. Jeez. I was dying. Wheezing. Found seats in the middle at the top and Amy got us bevvies - during song 2. Red Rocks looks out over the City of Denver with 2 huge red rock slabs beside you.

Kansas was very good. Styx ended up being my favorite! It was dark by the time Foreigner played and a beautiful night - I felt so lucky to be with 2 of my 3 fam members and drinking beverages overlooking Denver on a gorgeous night. I love live music! It just touches your soul somehow, and brings joy.

It was a short night at Amy's and then a long drive back home today, listening to a Lee Child novel I picked out because I knew Paul would like it.

Damn good time! I like the Denver area - not really the traffic or the big city party - but the fact that the people are so outdoorsy, and there is so much to do. It was fun to spend that much time with Amy - and I'm sure she was ready for us to go. We were ready to be home, and to sleep on our own beddy byes!

Bra Dept Biatchs

I stopped at Younkers tonight - needed a new brassiere. One with padding - not something I usually go for, but when I dress up, I like to look like I actually have breasts.

So I stopped at Valley West. First I tried on a few more dresses. Don't tell Pablo but I may have to purchase just one more. The black one a bought, after being altered, just looks more like a funeral dress. Oops. Found a sale dress for $59 and looked at some scarves/shawl pashmina type thingys. Didn't purchase.

Instead, I decided to go upstairs to the undies department to check out the bras. I only have one good one. Otherwise, needing little support for my booblets, as I've explained before, I wear bra-lets.

When I entered the area, the salespeople were busy gushing over a new type of bra they'd just gotten in - showing it to a customer. They glanced up at me - evidently sizing me up at the same time. I came up short. In the cup. They didn't bother to speak to me again while I walked around obviously looking for something I wasn't finding.

In the past Younkers has had an "Almost A" cup bra - product that I liked. But I can't find it anywhere! And I wasn't having any luck there. In the meantime more customers came in - and the saleswomen continued to enthuse over the new bra that "puffed you up two sizes". I guess you had to be a size to start with...sigh. A customer came out with it on, and the others drooled and clapped. I left.

And went to Penney's where they were doing construction and people left me alone. I didn't find Almost A, but but hey an A fit me just fine. I even tried it on! I also got a sports bra and some kinda Bermuda athletic shorts.

Didn't go back and get the dress, but hey I'll be back next week.

My boss Al and I went to lunch today - I think he wants to share his knowledge before he retires. It was nice. I'll miss the guy - think I would have really become good friends with him had I had a chance to work with him for a long time.

Jud called me while I drove home from the mall - he had a medical question. I was concerned as he hadn't done laundry last weekend. I texted him to say "don't become the BO guy nobody wants to work by!" and to say at least go buy more polo shirts! He told me tonight he did laundry, so I will be able to quit obsessing about it. Phew!

Dancing with the Stars is really the only reality show I can stand.
I think The Good Wife is the best show in TV right now - great characters! Gotta go it's coming on.

Denver trip

We're planning our trip to Denver. I have been going there since I was a tyke. The first time I remember going, I was with my grandparents - it must have been before interstates and we drove across a highway. I must have been around six years old.

When we stopped for the night, my grandpa bribed me to run around the motel as fast as I could a number of times - to wear myself out. It worked! I stayed with my Aunt Marty (just like I will this weekend), but at their very first home in Denver.

My cousin Richard was just a little guy - maybe 3. We took a bath together - my first experience seeing, welp a male appendage. Quite an eyeful for a lil gal with all sisters. My aunt taught me a prayer that scared the hell out of me "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep
if I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take"

WTF? There could be dying and taking while I'm sleeping? Geez the Catholics don't have scary prayers like that! But even to this day that prayer runs through my head when I get in bed.

Marty and Bill's yard at that Denver bungalow had a fenced in yard, and somehow I got as a gift a bubble set with a giant wand - as bit as my head. Alas I broke it somehow - it was made of plastic, and it wouldn't make the giant bubbles anymore. I don't remember the trip back to Iowa - it likely was as long as the trip to Denver.

I'm looking forward to seeing my Denver relatives - though Marty and Bill will be in Estes Park, we'll stay in their lovely home. Famous Amos, Cindo, Boldie - perhaps even my cousin Amy. Hope it's not snowing in the mountains like it is today!

A couple kinda sad things

Nancy - left front. Bobbie, Susan

Back Deb, Patti, Pat with me behind

Nancy's dad died this morning early. I saw her last night at our neighbor's graduation party - and she told me he wasn't long for the world. Nancy and Jim had trekked to southern Arizona less than 2 weeks ago to get him after he had suffered a couple strokes.

He quickly progressed from the nursing home to hospice - a subject of my blog this week. She said last night that she hoped he didn't linger. And he didn't. I'm glad for the family and sad.

At last night's reception - for Nick Neitzel our neighbor, the hospital administrator's son, we sat with some old friends Kenton and Nancy Groth. Monte Neitzel is Nick's dad - and Tasha is his mom. She sometimes cleans my teeth as she works for Dave Buck our dentist. All very nice folks. Another thing to love about life in Crestonia. The Neitzels moved to Creston around 8 or 9 years ago - kids attended St. Malachy and we've known them as neighbors since then. I was on the Y board with Monte. Nick plans to walk on to the football team at NW Missouri.

The food at the reception was great - barbecue, cheesy potatoes, fancy cupcakes. Yum. We were chatting with a family we know when Groths sat down and we got to catch up with them - they were neighbors at our old house, and their kids babysat ours - all three are married now, and Karissa is pregnant with her third!

Nancy recently lost her mother - who had a stroke a couple years ago and had been in a nursing home for over a year. We talked about the fact that even though her mom had little quality of life at the end and was ready to go, Nancy was very sad by the time she got home after the funeral. Then Nancy and family dropped in - they live next door to Neitzels. She said she wanted her father to "fly away".

But I'm sure she'll have those same feelings now that he's gone. I know I did - with both parents. Both were so sick at the end, I prayed for their demise - which is kind of a sick feeling. You feel like a traitor. But I did not want my father living out his days like Nancy's mother, incontinent in a nursing - behind sad eyes.

But once they were gone. And my sisters had gone home - it was final. I was very sad and felt like an orphan - I still do. I'm jealous of people who still have parents around - except for the fact that they're bound to someday go through the loss.

How the hell did I get to be 52 and all grown up - I'll never know...

Me thinks we thinks alike

Not only do we have the same name...but now we are even beginning to think alike. Alternative Leslie Goldsmith and I hadn't emailed or spoken to each other for a while. When I got my hair cut last Monday, my stylist Sarah asked if I'd heard from her lately - you see I'd told Sarah the story of how Sahar had messed up LG's last appointment thinking she was me.

I told Sarah that no, I hadn't heard from my alter ego lately, but had been thinking of contacting her. Then l0 and behold, an email appeared Tuesday, just when I was fixing to email her!

I know do do do do (insert Twilight Zone Theme Song). It's not like we're husband and wife. After 27.5 years of marriage, Paul and I do tend to think alike and that does freak one out a little. Just when I am ready to tell him something I've decided he'll say the same thing. Or when I think of calling him my phone rings. Not all the time (that would be just too much). But that's after years of togetherness.

LG and I have actually been together twice! So the timing thing with her is freaky. There are some other Leslie Goldsmiths out there. I've googled myself and checked on Facebook. None are sexy models like Amy found out when she was putting together the Amy Goldsmith Website for graphic design - people looked for it and found this sexy, big boobed chick that certainly wasn't my artsy baby!

But I think we're the only 2 LGs living on Highway 34 in Iowa married to Paul with 2 kids. Paul bought a football magnet from a neighbor kid this week (yikes - Evan Nielson will be in 9th grade this fall!). Creston plays at Chariton this fall in football - we may have to go to the game and sit with ourselves! LOL

Dubuque

I was in Dubuque yesterday - a loooong day. Started on the road at 6 a.m. for a 10 a.m. meeting down on the river. I had my new GPS - the Garmin 255W on sale at Best Buy for $119. Unfortunately, the GPS and Google Maps didn't have a clue where Durrant Architecture was located - or where Ice Harbor Drive is in that town.

The business is in a Lied Building - see it at http://www.durrant.com/
and is all low waste, low energy and high recycling. I was impressed. The parking lot was made of pervious materials - allowing for rainfall to infiltrate instead of run off. Color me impressed!

After the meeting - the Iowa Recycling Association Board Meeting, we had a nice lunch and headed across the river to Kieler Wisconsin to tour Moor Salvage where old fridges and cars go to be recycled so they can be reborn into new stuff. Julius Moor was a great host - and the two huge tugboat motors and transmissions were impressive!


Last but not least, recycling nerds know how to party! We headed to a vineyard near Sundown Ski resort to sample wine (but not me, since I was driving a state vehicle a nice Hybrid Honda Civic), designer beer and some food. The location was gorgeous. http://www.parkfarmwinery.com/. I ate some of the food and drank some water while chatting with the folks attending the wing ding - about 15 or so.

The drive back to Des Moines was a long one - I was listening to a book by that guy that wrote Jurassic Park - this one's about Genetics. Scary! Got to Joan in time to watch the second hour of Grey's Anatomy with Joanie. Nothing like a 15 hour work day, but 8 hours was on the road, so it was a nice way to get comp time. When I got to work this a.m. I had to gas up the Honda and turn it in. Good trip.

Scales

I got weighed at the doctor today - usual procedure for a doc's office. I thought the scale was a showing a little heavy - but justified the couple extra pounds later when I realized my purse was hanging on my shoulder the whole time. Ha!

I saw the neuro - a checkup to see how I'm doing on the new drugs. Pretty well I believe, compared to before Topamax when I might have 4 headaches a week. I told Dr. Schmolk that the stuff I read online - posts from people who listed their side-effects from the drug kinda scared me! But I decided mostly the wackos post online. The happy customers say nothing!

So here's one customer of Topamax who isn't losing my hair, can still spell, don't feel like beating my boyfriend, haven't gained bunches of weight or dwindled to nothing. I will say my ears do ring a bit and I've had the tingling hands and feet. I've experienced some stomach upset as well. But the reduction in the number of migraines is worth it! To live without constant fear of that pain...

Back to life being weighed. My first memory of being weighed is from grade school - good 'ol Washington Elementary. In the 60's, kids were allowed no privacy! They'd wheel the scale in, and we'd step on and the nurse would beller out the number for the teacher to list our weight - the poor chunky kids had to be mortified. And back then the "big" kids would hardly be considered big now!

I never really had to worry about my weight much - at least until high school, when I jumped right through size 4 - in about a minute to a 9. And when I went to college, and quit the constant sports practice, but stepped up my beer drinking to several nights a week I put on a few pounds.

I didn't really need a scale then. I had Bubba - my grandfather. He'd see me and ask, "How much you weigh now Honey?" Gee thanks Bub! Now wonder my Aunt Marty was muy largo all her life. It had to miserable growing up with that!

Our family is really pretty lucky in the gene department - because we aren't that big. But we all stay fairly active, and even though my diet is not stellar I have tried to limit portions.

I have been eating poorly again lately. I am going to try to step it up and get with the exercise program. I wouldn't mind losing a few more pounds and not just my purse.

Hospice - a godsend

My friend Nancy posted on Facebook that they put her daddy in hospice today. How very sad. Just last week she was on an angel's mission to collect her dad from southern Arizona and bring him back to Iowa after he suffered a couple strokes.

When Paul and I spoke to Nan just before she took off to go pick her dad up, Nancy said the nurse there said the latest scan showed what they thought to be a tumor. They were ready to start chemotherapy. Nancy said "No thanks" I'll check it out when we get to Iowa. My buddy is a nurse and she knows lots of docs. Besides, she said, her dad is 84 years old and has had 2 strokes!

I haven't talked to her since last Thursday night, when we stopped at their place whilst walking the wienie, Odie who is always happy to go to Zoie's house (that's the Anthony fam pet, a yeller lab born zactly the same day as Odie). Odie is actually pretty scared of zooey. (Can you tell, I'm not quite sure how to spell it). But she loves Jim and Nancy, who were busy loading up furniture to move into Nancy's mom's new apartment at the retirement place in town. Her dad was safely tucked into Creston Nursing and Rehab.

Evidently since then he's gone downhill. Now he needs hospice. We are so fortunate that Creston has a couple nice hospice facilities. I remember last year when Deb's mom was in hospice up here - what a beautiful thing. When my mom was terminally ill in Atlantic, and when Patrick's little life was winding down in Creston there were no hospice facilities. We made do though. A gentle exit from life is deserved by all! Go with God (or whatever is next Nan's Dad).

Grand old Oprey

Martha demonstrating her vision board

I loves me Oprah Magazine because it's one of those reads I always gets something out of. I read much of this month's edition while riding back up to DM to buy the new el carro on Saturday. The Martha Beck column was IT this month. Martha (good name - it's my middle name ya know...) is a life coach and Harvard PhD.

Anyway it was about envisioning one's future. When I first started reading the piece, I was thinking in terms of Amy - as we had been talking about her job and career Friday night. A year ago, she was just beginning her Denver job search - thinking of taking a job taking photos and she almost panicked and took a job at a salad place for like $20k per year. But I talked her out of it. Later, when she couldn't get a job, I was almost sorry! Then she landed a part time job, that she later parlayed into a fulltime gig, with benefits at a cool gourmet market. She's considering what her future is.

But as I continued reading the article, I began thinking about Jud - since he'll graduate from college in a year. What will he do? Will he have a job lined up by Christmas, as is his goal? Or will it be tougher than that? If he doesn't get a job before he graduates - then what? That time right after graduation - what a tough time in life. No wonder lots of people hurry up and get married, or at least take a significant with them where ever they go. It's scary!

The Martha Beck article described doing a vision board that maps out how at this point you envision your future. I could really see Amy doing that. She used to love doing things like that - so much so that in grade school I felt sorry for the other students and their poor little projects compared to hers. Amy's could be artfully displayed with dynamic letters, just the right size and colors that set off the presentation.

The vision board isn't just job related - it's all of life. Job, love, hobbies, home, family etc. After you do your vision board you should put it aside and forget it. Later, you might just be surprised how much has come true!

What are this old girl's visions? I still have a few! I picture my beloved and myself actually living together as man and wife 7 days a week. I think it's going to have to be somewhere up here - hopefully before 3 years are up. I will continue to work at IDNR for several years. I'd like to get this EMS program (see blog from like a month ago on this) up and running well. And I hope a promotion is already in the works for me, and I need to get my high five years in to improve my retirement income. Geez that sounds so weird to be coming from me. Aren't I still way too young to be thinking like this??

At that point, I'd like to see what the kids are up to. I wouldn't rule out living closer to one of them - especially if one of them lives someplace warmer than this hellhole (in winter - tonight was gorgeous reminding me why I live here). I wouldn't mind working part time then - either part of the year or of the week. And I want to get back into volunteering. I do really miss that part of my life - Paul and I have talked about doing habitat for humanity type stuff.

Ah memories

Our Easter pic one year

I was on a mission to find the Goldsmith fam video today. After we had to scrap the paint the front door project due to weather. It's breezy and coldish. Even bought the paint, but there will be other weekends for that.

A couple weekends ago I looked in the the plastic bin of the kids baby stuff, including Patrick's stuff - thinking the very first VHS tape we made was in there. Alas, no. This afternoon I looked through the videos in our room, in the space under the TV and sure 'nuff there it was along with all the other videos - mostly sports tapes of the kids. But that first one is special as we had to borrow and rent cam corders (they were the size of TV cameras back then) to get pics of our kids.

The first time was for Jud's baptism at age 4 months - we got all of our parents in there, along with Schneid, who we named as one of Jud's godparents along with Paul's sis Jean. The 3 Fox girls were there - big hair for all as it was 1989. Paul's sis Carol and her first husband Carol was there too.

I think I put Dad in charge of doing the recording at church - since he was not Catholic (you may recall he was CountryClubian -playing 18 on most Sundays, and pitch during the off season). He did a pretty good job. Fr. Stessman presided. Amy was quite a ham at age 3 - very dramatic with the candle and some interesting faces for the camera. Jud was a little angel for the most part. (considering the rest of his early childhood especially)

After the ceremony - which I think we did mid afternoon on a Saturday in April, so Mom and Dad were back from Florida, everyone came back to our house for a meal. The camera mostly shows people around chatting. Paul and I took turns shooting the "action". or lack thereof. If I could go back and do it again, I'd ask pithier questions - get some footage of each of our parents. But ah well...who knew...

We also borrowed our neighbors, the Tyners camera a couple times those early years. They were swell neighbors - let us borrow their Ford pickup too - to haul stuff to the compost site. And they loved the kids. Anyway - we have a lot of somewhat boring footage of our children watching TV. I know - stupid. We did get some footage from the park, where Amy took a dive on the "swinging bridge". Paul always asked the kids how old they were each and every time we filmed them.

The sweetest footage is of our baby Patrick. So very cute - and so very left undone. It was all taken before we knew he was sick. He's perfect - looks much like the other two and yet, not. His hair is darker. It makes me wish I could have experienced his life with him, as with Amy and Jud.

I'm glad our children are "all growed up" yet I kinda miss lil Amy and Jud. Maybe someday we'll have grandkids we can spoil. But not too soon!

Sleep clinic

Across from the spa where get my hair cut - Sahar, (hey that's kind of a mixed up way to spell Sarah the name of my "Master Stylist" - translation $45 haircuts) is a sleep clinic. The first time I pulled in to get my hair cut, I parked and noticed the clinic. And then I noticed something strange - there was a door marked "donor entrance". Geez - you can donate sleep?

Ah then I noticed there is a blood center at the other end of the building. Ahhh. Lightbulb.

Monday I'm getting my hair cut and roots touched up - they have to be re highlighted a course. That damn grey insists upon growing out, along with my really dark natural hair color. I'm sure my master stylist can handle it!

More kiddy memories

Amy was an easy first baby - she trained us well. She didn't cry a lot. We had this blue rattle with a spinner on the end with 0ne side that had a smiley face. All you baby veterans know that babies start smiling around week 4ish.

Once Amy started to smile, that damn rattle smiley face would get her to smile every time! It was a chain reaction - shake rattle to get baby's attention, turn the smiley face so Amy could see it and she would break out her cute smile, which would melt her parents' hearts. Truly.

We doted on her - she was the center of our lives. I couldn't wait to get off work so I could pick her up from the sitter so we could play with her before we put her to bed at 7 PM and could have us time.

The fall she was born soon turned into an early winter - with an early November snowstorm that left behind lots of snow and black ice on the roads. It was cold too. We had to bundle her up in a variety of full length snow suits for her short ride in the car seat to the Wubbens - our sitters house.

Martin Wubben, the skinny nerdy youngest son of Karen and Neil, our sitters was in around 7th grade. By the end of that year, Amy would be yelling "Mart" at the top of her lungs. Their house had its own particular smell, and when Amy got home she smelled like it. Paul and I would say she was "Wubbenized".

We were so excited and proud the first time we took our little punkin to Mason City to the mall to show off our baby in our bitchin' blue stroller. And we were fortunate to run into some people we met in our Lamaze class. Baby on board!

Banana rama cha ching

Stopped at the mall today on my way back to Joan's place. Joan is on vaca and there is nobody home. It's lonely and there is no reason to rush here. I worked until 5 PM - it was a long one - but I did get my review from my boss Al. I got good grades Mom!

I spent my time at Valley West Mall cruising through Von Maur Department Store, Banana Republic, The Gap and my fave Calypso. I would like to say this about Gap and Calypso - Yikes - your prices are too high for me! A button down collar shirt for $59? Really (said in best Saturday Night Live voice). A drapey shawl at Banana Republic $69? Realllly? It's like all those stores just waited to jack their prices up.

Von Maur had some sweet shoes and sandals, and I found a shawl on sale that might look good with my new dress. Didn't get it yet though - since I have time to shop around in coming weeks. Need to find that perfect dress for the LA wedding too. I think Pablo said something about getting new shoes (hiking boots) from Cabelas via UPS today...hmmm and he says I'm the one with all the shoes.

Adorable Kiddy Stories

At book club a couple weeks ago, one of my friends suggested that we should commit the cute stories about our children to paper. I'm going to go one better and commit them to BLOG. So I hope your teeth don't rot as you read of the special and very cutesy things lil Amy and Jud did as youngsters. I'll Jot them down in future weeks as time goes by.

Starting with my first memories of that little punkin Amy Lizzy. Amy started life as an adorable little carrot top. She was quite a pukester to start out - she could spit up some 2 feet over my shoulder and hit a wall! That was kind of depressing - breastfeeding her for a half hour only to have it made into wall art.

Some women love breastfeeding. While I'm glad I did it - me, not so much. Perhaps it's my smallish breasts - they became engorged with milk and felt like rockets ready to go off! Nope, nursing and I didn't get along very well. So it was a relief when I was ready to go back to work, and I weaned her to bottles (Playtex nursers).

Even then Amy didn't get along so well on regular formula - we had to switch to soy formula. And after that - it was Sweet Acidophiles (sp) milk until Amy was a couple years old. Amy did love her bottles! She got so she'd drink up to 5 of the things a day. But she sure was a good sleeper - sleeping through the night starting at age 5 weeks. Paul and I would put her to bed at 7 PM and then eat supper.

We didn't mind that she was up be 5 a.m. ready to eat again. I can do early mornings as long as I can get to bed early! We lived in Osage then, and it was our first experience with Cable TV. I would watch the religion channel while I fed her (Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker) as it preceded the good cartoons - yep you know the ones. Looney Tunes. Bugs, Droopy (bestest evah cartoon), Wile Coyote. Sometimes there was even Spanky and Our Gang and Three Stooges. Fond memories of little screaming mimi Amy.

Crestonian errands

I worked at home today - a nice one to stay home. The weather was rotten to the core! I did start the day out right, with a homie breakfast.

We were short a few - Dee is in Florida with Donnie and some friends (the infamous soupeaters from tailgating fame) at a golf tourney. Nan is on a trip of love - she and Jomes (as she calls him) rented a conversion van to go pick up her 84 year old father, who suffered a couple strokes in recent months. He is in a nursing home in southern Arizona - a looong trip! Their daughter Kendra is going along to help with the driving. Nancy is a nurse, so that will help, but it's still got to be nerve wracking to travel with your ill father.

Our friend Pat has not returned to breakfast since the death of her daughter in February. I'm sure she's not yet feeling like being jovial with friends on the town - even at S&K with her homies. It's hard to find your joy when something like that happens - I hope it's coming back to their family, if even in tiny little ways.

After breakfast I beat it home to begin working. I figured the Goal Progress calculation for LNI (landfill of North Iowa) including Cerro Gordo County where our firstborn made her appearance in life. It's actually kindo of relaxing work - looking up population numbers for - in this case 6 counties, labor information for 2008, 2009 and sales tax revenue for those years along with landfill tonnage from a spreadsheet.

In the meantime it began to rain - not pour, but rain steadily, and it was cold and windy! I decided to postpone my errands until afternoon when there was supposed to be a break in the rain. I had to take my prescription fax to the clinic and get my newly conquered dress altered at Quilts and other Notions.

Hey - it's a Creston thing. You go into a Quilt store with your alterations and change in the stinky downstairs restroom - the checkout lady pins it in between selling quilting stuff to seamstresses with their spouses looking on. You need to pin your name and number on your frock, and a lady from Orient picks it up and takes it back to her husband's welding shop where she sews. Bobbie said Krissy had to take her wedding dress there and the seamstress had her strip down right in the shop - on a blanket to keep clean. Only in Creston! Or Orient in this case...

It's pretty easy to run errands in Creston. I got all that done in less than 45 minutes. Now tomorrow I have to take my car to Ramsey Subaru for service - that will take over an hour - with 15 minutes drive time each way. Sometimes life in a small town is just simpler.

Mommy's Day

It was a nice Mommy's Day. Got a hug and a nice card from #1 son - he even wrote a lil something in there - not just his name. Amy called to check in - a phone hug if you will. The two of them conspired to get the two of us tickets to a kick-ass concert Memorial Weekend.

We'll be going to see Kansas, Styx, and Foreigner. All figured heavily in my childhood - okay my teenhood and twenties - and thus ever since. Kansas was the first of these groups I ever knew of. I believe Scott Deardorff was the influence there - just liked he turned me on to early Aerosmith. Yeah, I heard all the good tunes at the Deardorff household - cuz they were a musical family, so they had a great sound system and tons of albums.

Even today my favorite of the Kansas Albums remains the first one I heard -

Can I Tell You - is a great track! Plus Lonely Wind, and Bringing It Back. But these were never the big commercial hits for the band, so I'm sure they won't be the ones they play - alas! I do like Dust in the Wind. I'm a huge live music fan so I'll like whatever they play.

The last time I heard them was at Iowa Jam - 1976. I went with Chris Deardorff and Paula Bacon. We drank pre-mixed tequila sunrises. Craig Both and Jeff Weppler were with us - it was hot as hell and I remember the singer from Kansas saying it was hotter than pigf*#@ - he was right. I thought I'd get sunstroke so I went to the concession for a visor. I asked how much they were - I thought they said FREE but it must have been $3 I realized later. Sun was making me delirious - good thing I didn't get arrested for shoplifting!

Styx was never my fave band - their songs are kinda wimpy. Though Come Sail Away was always a good party song. I've got one of their live albums now. Foreigner came on the scene during college - my frosh summer of liveguarding. I bought the album in Omaha on my day off (I only got 1 per week). I don't think I've seen either of those two bands in concert.

I am a happy and fortunate momma. I have two wonderful children (and one angel). They work hard and are good people. They are intelligent and are fun to be with. Though my job as mother will never be quite complete, I fear they are quickly working me out of a job - growing up so completely and nicely. It has been my privilege to be the mommy of Jud and Amy Goldsmith.

Tale of 2 shoppin' trips

The day after shopping with my buddy Deb, I met my young son to purchase the clothes he needs for his internship (see the braggy blog from a few months back when I talk about how he landed a cushy internship at John Deere) at Jordan Creek. He's kind of a shopping snob and doesn't usually like to go to Valley West - my fave shopping grounds.

But we were shopping for him - it was all about the Judster. I was at a meeting when he texted to say he was leaving Ames, around 11ish Friday a.m. Surprising since he'd partied after a rough week of finals - 3 on Thursday!

We started by eating. When Deb and I met the day before, we had a leisurely lunch at Jason's Deli with more chatting than chewing (ha - does that remind you of Van's Chat and Chew in Atlantic?). With Jud - we headed to the food court and got Chick-Fil-A sannies. We chewed quickly and chatted a little.

Then we headed to those stores where boys his age buy a lot of clothes - he ended up getting shorts to replace some shorts he says he got mayo on that won't come out. Those aren't for the job of course. My boy stays pretty traditional - they're tan.

Then it was off to Younkers to look for work clothes. There he tried on lots of basic chinos, before I found some supposedly athletic fit no iron Izod brand that fit him in a way he approved. We got navy and a buff color. He says the ones he has are tan. He says Friday's at JD are jeans day. He may need to buy another pair - I tried to talk him into gray, but for now he's sticking with these. Also got a slate blue polo. He's got several colors already.

We headed to the shoe area. Younkers was woefully understaffed here - there were some he would have tried on, but nobody to help. So we checked out, once the checker looked up at the are near the door. This was a theme this week - staff everywhere but nobody available to take my $$!?! We looked at shoes at several places and ended up with some Timberland slipons at Dillards. I like them.

Finished with a long sleeve shirt at Aeropostle and then we headed for home. In other words we were all business! There was no camaraderie - chit chatting, back and forth examination of styles. That's okay though - this is my kid. It was a good outing and we got accomplished what we needed to. And through the years we've spent very little on him for clothes - especially post high school when he didn't need new sports shoes every season.

Now he's home for a couple nights before he heads to Moline for the big day - Monday when he starts. He'll live in a motel the first couple weeks - then he moves into the dorm at St. Ambrose University. There are something like 60 interns from across the country in the program at this site, so it will be quite the deal! He's gonna learn a lot from this experience - and shopping with Mom was just the start.

La Bambina

Kylie and Becky - leaving the hospital.


I got to see my friend Becky yesterday and her beautiful baby girl Kylie Faith who was born April 10th - a mere 1 day after my guesstimate of April 9. (I picked that date because it's sister Cindo's bday)

A few of us from work met Becky at Fazoli's on SE 14th for lunch. And there she was with her new little tiny person. I say tiny because gee - at 3 weeks she's still not as big as Amy and Jud were at birth.

And believe it or not, I held her for like 15 minutes! I don't usually hold babies who aren't related to me by blood. They don't fit into my arms right. But Kylie fit fine. She did sleep the whole time. She's got tiny feminine little features, and every once in a while she twitched. Finally, my arm gave out and I had to turn her back over to her proud mama.

Seeing Becky made me miss having her at work. But I can live with giving her up for a good cause - her being a stay at home mommy for a few weeks. As long as she lets me hold the baby a few more times!

Shoppin' with Debbie

I was dress shopping with Debbie today. Remind me to shop with a fat chick next time. Jeez she's so fit and trim. I felt like a flabby fanny next to her. Probably cuz I am flabby.

I spend my time blogging rather than working out. It's all for you my fine readers! (right - it's because my ass is so lazy). We were in Dress Barn, and she pulled those size 6 dresses over her head, and her buff arms bulged and and her trim waist looked fine. I drooled with envy. Not enough to get up from this computer and work out though. She works hard to get that figure.

So she found her dream dress and a cute top at the first store. I didn't. I tried on a moomoo (is that how you spell that?) - needed flipflops and a drink with an umbrella to go with it. Ugleee. The other two were ixnay as well. Deb had them hold her cute clothes and we went off to see what else was out there.

We stopped at Steinmart. Nothing there was worth getting naked over. So we were off across the street to the mall. We hit Younkers. I tried a few dresses on in the ladies section. Deb was feeling the pressure to "get Leslie a dress". No luck there, but I remember across, behind the purses there was a whole dress section. We headed there.

There were tons to choose from! Once we each secured a dressing room we were off to the races. I tried on 5, but the one I found on the "Day Dress" rack 30% off was the winner! They only had size 10 and 14 though, so I need to get it altered - or adjusted as Paul calls it. Ahhh it feels good to have one purchase down - 1 to go for the Alvillar wedding.

Date night - P&L

My honey just left. He was here for date night. Visitation I call it. Whatever we call it, it was def good to see him.

When I spoke to him last night, he sounded mucho stressed due to work issues. Those damn farmers. I asked him if there was anyone in particular he'd like me to take out. As in murder. Oh I could hide a body. Yessiree. I do not want my honey stroking out due to worrying about some f'ing farmer who is pissed about a terrace.

Paul and I are too much alike you see. We can allow imperfection by others. They can "screw up" or be at the center of conflict. Not us! We have to be perfect and liked and respected by all. I worried about him not sleeping well - and having nobody to say "snap out of it" "your job will not care about you". Even though I know it wouldn't do much good.

So he took off (gasp) early - co-workers even commented! The guy works like 50 hour weeks routinely while getting paid only for 40. Gee that makes sense. I guarantee nobody else does that in his line of work. The bosses don't.

And we met at Joan's and headed to Ramsey Subaru to check out the cars. He heard tell of my frettership regarding Jud and his itty bitty car. So we're considering having Jud drive the Jeep and Paul could get a new car. Yeah I know $$. Can't really afford it until Jud graduates, but if Jud got smashed flat on the Interstate in that little car I'd be beside myself! It's only money, right?!?

We test drove a couple new Outbacks. And we're thinking it over.

I took him to HuHot for supper - the Mongolian joint where you pile a bunch of meat (if you swing that way) veggies, fruit, noodles into a bowl along with a recipe of sauce you whip up yourself according to their recipes. Paul hadn't been there before - when I suggested it, he asked me what it was. I went all un-PC, and did my great (in my own mind) Chinese accent. "Mistah you gonnah likkee you see!"

It was nice to have an evening meal not by myself. Then we did a lil shopping - just fun walking around with him - my lover, instead of all by my lonesome. A nice night.

Clouds

Along with fretting on the way up here, I noticed the cool cloud formations. It was a gorgeous sunny a.m. with one dark cloud on the horizon with a hole in the middle - the sun stream through with those God-like rays streaming out.

Why do we thing of God when we see things like that? Is it because we've seen art that portrays God and Jesus along with sun rays? Or do we still think of heaven as being above and from the sun? Those visions also make me think of my boy Patrick.

Watching the sun rise and set never gets old. When we were in Florida last month, we ran into a guy in the elevator with his fancy camera with a long lens. He had been on the beach photographing the sunset. I asked if it was a good one - he answered that it wasn't as good as the night before - evidently he took pics of it every night.

If one watches the beach at Marco you can see the groups gathering to watch the sunset. And we just sat in McFee's deck to watch a chilly sunset last Saturday night. But gorgeous nonetheless.

Something about it is reassuring. Time passes - we're still here. Sigh.

My fretter

I ran my fretter up to 60 mph along with my Subaru this a.m. while driving to Des Moines. I tried to listen to a book, but I needed to think - so I put on my Mary Chapin Carpenter CD, followed by Bob Seger. Good artists to fret by.

I was fretting about my baby boy driving his elderly little car (a 1997 Saturn S2) across Iowa. That's a bad stretch of Interstate 80 - there are a lot of wrecks. That's a little car with not a lot of airbags and safety equipment. I am worried about my baby.

Hmmm what else did I fret about? My brain juices were certainly flowing. A parent's right to fret is not to be denied. I recently joined a Facebook group called something like - "if you hurt my daughter, know that I know how to hide a body."

Infidels!

I spent much of church thinking about infidelity. (I told you before about my penchant for daydreaming about life in general during mass - it's my time to think about life).

Last night we went to Casa (the local Mexican joint) with McKims after their golf game. Later, we stopped by Bobbie and Jeff's for a nightcap or 4 to watch the sun go down on their deck. It was gorgeous! And a bit chilly - Bobbie had to break out the fleece blankies her mom, Grace, made for the whole fam damily one year for Christmas. I got Jeff's cowboy model - extra long.

Idle chat of course turned to gossip. Diana goes to coffee weekly and gets the local gossip, so we heard about a couple couples who had strayed from the family bed. Nobody we're close to - anybody I've ever done anything with. But people we see - at work, or at church.

One couple - the people from church - I had just wondered about to Paul. Why wasn't the husband with the wife and two girls at church lately? It pains me that people will risk throwing away their beautiful family for a fling. What's it really about? And this wife travels!?!?

The other tidbit I heard was about a young woman who stood by her husband through his cancer treatment and while she was in labor, he was texting his girlfriend. And this is all in small Creston, Iowa. It's ugly people. I think that instead of worrying so much about not allowing same sex marriages, those people should come up with ways to strengthen all marriages to prevent these types of breakdowns.

I trust Pablo and always have - but traveling does leave each one of you alone, to your own devices several nights a week. Should I worry more? Should he?

In Florida this year sister Cindo asked me if I thought our dad, who traveled something like 35 years ever had women on the side. I told her I really didn't want to think about it. Mom said some pretty awful things about dad through the years, when she was feeling mean - but that was one thing she never brought up. Thank God!

Do people go into marriage thinking the whole fidelity thing is optional? And are there ways besides sex that people are unfaithful to each other? Can marriages recover from affairs? Or are the affairs simply the result of marriages that were too screwed up to last to begin with? Are some people (mostly men) biologically set to want to screw everything in sight? Is it asking too much for them to have just one partner?

I'm perfectly happy with just one partner. I realize I'm past my peak years now - so that probably helps. But I was never tempted to stray. Pablo the Poolboy and I are pretty evenly matched - when it comes to the bedroom (children avert your eyes). And that is important! And mattress related things don't always start in the bedroom - especially when you have babies and little kids. Those are the kinds of things a couple has to work through - before one gets all frustrated and looks outside the marriage for relief.

Ahhh. I coulda been a counselor. Or not - probably not enough empathy. Last night ended up with some laughs - some of our conversations should be recorded - so convoluted. Gotta love old friends.

Feeling clean

The grandmas




Early gabbing - McKims house is big and beautiful - perfect for events like this!




Gift opening

Sharon, L, Joanie, Diana - the hostesses

Bailey Miller, Kristina McFee - bridey

After the shower I mean. Diana, Joan, Sharon and I hosted a bridal shower for Kristina McFee today at D's house. We planned it all via email - technology at its finest. We pulled it off anyway. It seemed to go swell - good food, lots of chatting, I mixed up drinks and the kids got some nice gifts, which Krissy opened and displayed for all. Sharon's daughter Amanda and granddaughter Olivia (nearly 2) were there - always nice to see them. Livvie is getting big!

Krissy is Kristina McFee - someone I've known since she was around two, when I met her mommy Bobbie at sorority - Beta Sigma Phi, Zeta Iota Chapter. Bobbie and I were new pledges together and found out we had daughters who were similar age. Those daughters so started having play dates together when their mommys did. And the daddys found they were both farm boys who also had a lot in common. The two families have been hanging out ever since.

When Amy's brother Jud was born, Amy stayed all night at McFee's house. And Kimmy and Jud grew used to being stalked by the older siblings during mutual play dates. And viceversa. The four children spent lots of time together through the years. Many Sundays found us gathering together for an evening meal - Jeff, Bobbie, Paul and I would enjoy a cocktail and conversation while the children played.

I made an egg casserole that got a lil overdone while I was busy whipping up BMs (no - not bowel movements or Bobbie McFees) bloody marys with store bought BM mix and some of Joan's home canned bloody mary mix. I added Worcestershire and that hot red stuff. And pepper. I made the first one a little strong - so I had to drink that one myself. I must have made about twelve of those things.

People spread out and at at the dining room table and on the deck at the tables set there. It was sunny, and decent out of the chilly wind. I think everyone had a nice time. More of my buddies got to meet my roomie Joan - like Nancy. I talk about each of them to each other (in a nice way of course) so it's nice that they finally met!

By the time presents were opened, it was nearly noon. People started to take off - Bobbie's mom asked about Amy, which was nice of her. I talked to Bobbie's sis-in-law Brenda about her wiener dog, who sounds like a lil larger clone of Odie.

I gave Kristina a hug before she left - heck it's like she's a niece of mine too! Wedding is coming up quick - June 5. Pablo promised to fly Amy in for it - after all she's Amy's earliest buddy. And Jud should be home. Gonna be some fun!

So now I'm vegging the rest of today. Paul shot a turkey this a.m. and he waxed his Jeep. Testosterone s/b practically dripping off him!