Day 47 - 316 Days to go

http://www.midchix.com/2011/04/28/day-47-316-days-to-go/

Day 46-317 Days to go

http://www.midchix.com/2011/04/27/day-46-317-days-to-go/

Day 47 - 318 Days to go

http://www.midchix.com/2011/04/26/day-47-318-days-to-go/

Day 46 - 319 days to go

http://www.midchix.com/2011/04/25/day-46-319-days-to-go/

Day 36 - 329 Days to go

I'm in the process of moving my blog to my good friend, Gretchen's website:  http://www.midchix.com/.  To see today's post click on the following link:

http://www.midchix.com/2011/04/14/4472/

Thanks for reading!  Fee free to leave any comments or advice you may have about cellphones:-)

 

Day 35 - 330 Days to go

Coalie and I walked in the rain tonight.  I love a rainy day.  For lots of reasons, my walk was postponed until 9:30 tonight.  Abby was home sick again, we had a parent meeting at school, and choir carpool.  There are always so many reasons to find to not walk.  The best reason I had for delaying my walk was because my friend Mandy from London called.  She is flying home from Aspen tomorrow.  Rain always reminds me of being in London.  I spent almost a year there in my early twenties and Mandy was the first friend I made.  I booked a room through a bed and breakfast site and found myself on Mandy's doorstep.  In London it's not uncommon to rent out a bedroom for a night to help pay for the mortgage.  Mandy is 3 years younger than me and already owned her flat.  It was a tricky walk from Barons Court tube with 4 or 5 turns in the dark.  I found her building and walked up 3 flights of stairs.  I had been in Switzerland so at least was not suffering from jet lag while also being out of breath.  When Mandy opened the door, we both knew immediately that we would be friends.  We like to say I rented for a week and stayed for a year.   She was there when I nannied, when I worked in Wales at a country hotel, and when I moved back to London to sell oil paintings door to door.  She was there when Greg and I started planning our wedding.  She is still there when I have questions about my mom's health (she and her husband Andy are both doctors) and anytime I need a friend.  We manage to make the long distance and big time frame not be such a big deal.  Mandy was (is) my home away from home.

Day 34 - 331 Days to go

Abby was home sick today so it was late and dark when Logan, Coalie and I headed out for a walk.  We walked through our neighborhood and met a couple who bought a house we showed a few years ago.  The house needed tons of work, but had beautiful woodwork throughout.  When I showed it, my client had her son and I had Logan and Abby so the kids played while we looked at the house.  Most of the time the kids were in the back yard, but I kept thinking I heard someone walk behind us.  I even heard a door close a couple of times.  When my client and I walked outside, she said, "I guess we weren't alone in the house today."  I was tempted to ask the couple if they had a ghost, but instead I asked them about their kitchen.  The house had the type of kitchen that you could probably only live with for a day.  They said they won a renovation on "Renovation Rescue" and had the kitchen done then.  It took two weeks.  I thought about our kitchen renovation last year and how it took 3 months.  It was so dusty and dirty that I found a hotel for us for a few days during the first month of renovation.  I booked the hotel through priceline ($50/night in Cherry Creek - little did I know Cherry Creek stretches all the way to I25) at 5:00 in the morning and sent Greg an email.  He looked at his email before I saw him that morning and was a little surprised.  At least it's not like my mom changing houses when my dad was away on a basic training weekend.   

Day 33 - 332 Days to go

Another busy day today.  I thought there was no way I could walk tonight after spending most of the day at the nursing home and doctor's office, taking my first yoga class that was really hard, and still trying to work with a phone that has been not working all day.  After dinner, Logan, Coalie and I crossed the street to the golf course.  Coalie surprised us both by jumping in the water for a swim.  Logan helped dry him off by racing him across the golf course.  I ran behind them at a slower pace thankful that I had more energy than I thought.  We were able to catch up on the day and more on the tour.  He was with me yesterday at the nursing home so I had a lot to update him on.  Mom did have a tia or mini stroke.  She was better this morning than yesterday and better this afternoon than this morning.  I told Logan about the woman we met on the elevator last night.  She was asking us what we thought about the new paint color on her floor.  She recognized me today and told me all the plans they had for remodeling.  Her name is Opal and we had a nice visit.  She said she has a condo that has sat empty for the 9 years she has lived there.  The person that was going to help her sell it had a heart attack.  I told her I could help her.  Does that make me a rainmaker realtor?

Day 32 - 333 Days to go

Logan and I got an early walk in.  We walked to the newspaper stand to get the Sunday paper.  Logan dribbled the basketball there and back - about a mile.  It was great spending time with him after his being away.  When we got back to the house, we went for a Sunday drive with Greg and Abby to get donuts.  While eating donuts, we were talking about things to be careful of in the world.  Abby said, "I may only be in 2nd grade, but I know all of this because my brain is as big as the world."

I didn't get a chance to read my paper yet, but I did get to help my friends solve a housing dilemma and I visited mom three times.  Tonight I am really worried about her.  She seems to be going downhill quickly.  Her mouth seems numb so I asked the nurse about the possibility of a stroke.  He said it would be much more pronounced.  He took all of her vitals and everything was good.  Now I'm wondering if it is a drug overdose from one of her medications...I was so worried the first time I went there today that I sent Greg a text.  He was there within minutes.  He is so amazing when I need him.  It reminded me of the time we bailed Grandpa out of the same nursing home when I was pregnant with Abby (9 years ago).  My grandpa was there for a short time and seemed to be getting more depressed daily.  The night before we bailed him out, I had a dream that Logan was drowning.  When I woke, I felt that the dream was about my grandpa so I called my mom and Greg and we met at the nursing home to take him home to Mom's house.  She had been taking care of him for several years before he went to live in an assisted living home.  He overdosed on his dilantin when someone accidentally left the bottle in front of him at the assisted living home.  From there he went to the hospital and then the nursing home.  Grandpa's roommate told us the CNAs that worked at night were being mean to Grandpa - saying things like they needed to change his diaper and being rough with him.  The director at the time gave us a lot of grief for wanting to take him out of the home.  To complicate matters, an uncle of mine called and said he didn't feel like Mom should take him home.  The director followed us through the home and to the car arguing with us about taking him.  She made me sign an AMA (against medical advice) so I signed my uncle's name.  Mom and I felt so strongly about taking him that we didn't worry about what anyone else thought.  Greg was uncomfortable with the drama and wondered if they would call the police.  Even though he was uncomfortable, he totally supported me and helped me get Grandpa in the car.  As soon as we walked through the door at my mom's, Grandpa was smiling and cracking jokes.  Greg knew that we had done the right thing.  I already knew that and I knew how much Greg loved me to help me like that.

Day 31 - 334 Days to go

Today was so full of getting ready for spring that I barely had time to walk.  We rushed around getting a new grill, going to a friend's estate sale, checking on an upcoming listing, working on an inspection notice (after the worst inspection/inspector ever), and doing yard work.  We had planned to go to a party with parents from the children's school, but our babysitter had to work tonight so we opted for a late movie after she finished work.  This is where we got creative to get my walk in.  We parked at the furthest parking lot from Harkins Theater and walked to the movie and then walked back to the car after the movie.  The after walk was chilly.  It was fun to incorporate a short walk with my hubby on our date night.  I haven't yet decided if the movie was fun.  "Limitless" was thought provoking, but I don't like movies where you just keep waiting for the train wreck.  That kind of movie does not raise my vibrations.  I like movies that are interesting, thought provoking, pretty (nice houses and landscape, of course), witty (not slapstick funny), and have some kind of message to deliver.  Some of my favorite movies:

Chocolate
August Rush
Under the Tuscan Sun (although the book was much better)
The Pursuit of Happiness
Mr. Magoriums Emporium

Day 30 - 335 Days to go

Wow, a month of walking already.  I worked until I saw the sun start to set from my desk with a view.  I'm so lucky to have an amazing view of mountains, city, and golf course.  I talked Greg, Abby, and Coalie into walking the golf course with me tonight.  Logan is home finally from choir tour, but he chose to stay and play basketball with the neighbors.  He had a great time on tour.  The first thing he said when we picked him up was, "I'm so glad I'm in a big city again."  We are so glad he's home with us again.

Abby anxiously awaiting Logan's return...


When the kids walk the golf course with me, we like to imagine that we are in a different world called, "Porshka."  There are unicorns, gnomes, and trees with personalities.  Tonight, Abby created a new creature called a "Rahrabian."  Ten drops of it's blood on your tongue can kill you.  They are usually small and white and fly close to the ground.  We found 5 golf balls and lost 1.  Coalie played fetch with the fluorescent green ball.  He got so tired, I told Greg that he may have a heart attack.  Greg said, "That's okay, we'll just carry him home and bury him next to the birds."  Sometimes he has a very warped sense of humor.

When we got home, we joined the kids for some basketball aka alleyball.  The funny thing about living on a very busy street is that the alley is our way to connect with the neighbors, ride bikes, play ball.  We met our new neighbors and they told us about their house projects and how much they love living here.  My friend Sally (from down the alley), who bought a house on our block with me as her realtor, told him I said it's like living in the country.  Thank goodness, he agreed. 

A walk with Abby Day 29 - 336 Days to go

Abby and I are home alone and I've been trying for an hour to get her to walk with me.  I'm probably not very convincing since walking is the last thing I want to do today.  I want to go downstairs and watch tv and eat chocolate.  I want to go to bed super early and read my latest Jody Piccoult book.  I want my paperwork and housework magically done so I don't have to think about it.

My cat Albert wants me to feed him.  He is sitting on top of my desk staring at me.  He tries to rub his head against me and my face is covered with hair.  He sheds so much more than the other cats.  He also has the worst teeth.  The vet says the tooth decay is from being abandoned when he was a kitten.  I wonder if the constant shedding is too.  Albert is so lovable and so happy to have a home.  He loves the kids and Coalie best.  He loves me when I feed him.  I bet I could talk him into taking a walk with me if I promised to feed him. 

I had to resort to bribing Abby to walk with me.  I asked her what it would take to go for a walk and she said a massage.  Somehow she also talked me into setting out her clothes for tomorrow (that is a losing proposition as nothing I put out works - it's too cold, too short, too warm...).  The first half of our walk, I took a couple of real estate phone calls.  When I was done with the second call, Abby said, "Mommy, can you please not take any more calls?"  It rang one more time (sorry, Erin), but I let the voicemail pick up.  Instead, I enjoyed listening to Abby talk about her day and point out the little gnome houses she saw in the trees.  We noticed the flowers that matched her jacket and laughed at the mechanical bird sounds coming from a yard.  I had an epiphany about walking with Abby.  I need to be present and fun for her to want to go for a walk. 


I wish I could say I felt a 100 times better after the walk tonight, but my head still hurts and I'm still worried about my mom and I'm still thinking about all the things I have to do (including setting out Abby's clothes).  I do feel better than when I started though and I am happy I had the time with Abby.



Abby in clothes that she set out.



Day 28 - 337 Days to go

Coalie and I grabbed a quick walk in our neighborhood this evening before date night with Greg.  I was going to use the time to process the day.  It was a busy day of checking on an upcoming rental, meeting with good friends for knitting, doing errands, and working on a real estate deal.  Abby and I also stopped by the nursing home to see mom.  The last 3 times I have been there, she has been a lot more confused and tired.  In the middle of our visit today, she didn't know who Abby was even though she had recognized her in the beginning.  Last night when I was there, she alternated between being happy to see me and grumpy with me.  Today she looked towards the door and said, "She's nothing."  Abby said, "was she talking about me?"   I told her Grandma was just really confused today.  Last night, after my visit with mom, I went to another floor to visit mom's friend Billy.  Billy recognizes me, is so happy to see me, and tells me he loves seeing me.  I told myself I visit Billy because I would be happy if other family members visited mom, but really it's for me.  Seeing Billy raises my vibration.  Seeing Billy helps me keep things in perspective. 

When we first got to the nursing home, we saw another resident hit the social worker.  We heard another resident wailing.  The social worker said the residents feel the gloominess of the day.  When we were leaving, the agitated resident had calmed down and was folding cloth napkins.  What a great idea that was.  It works for the children in our school's kindergarten too.

I have a habit of pushing the elevator button for Billy's floor on my way out.  Today when the doors opened, I saw his daughter visiting him.  In the car, Abby started crying.  She said she missed her birds.

So instead of processing the day quietly, I called my dad.  Thank goodness for my dad.  I talk to him almost daily.  His mind and health are good despite going through cancer and chemo a few years ago.  It helps to talk to him about my mom - he is one of the few people who understands her and has known her for over 50 years.  It helps to talk to him about my day, the children, his dogs, the renovations on his grandparent's house, and pretty much anything else.  He's funny and he's positive.  Talking to my dad raises my vibration.

Day 27 - 338 Days to go

I walked with about 30 people today - most of them were children.  Last night Abby reminded me of her second grade class field trip.  She was really excited to have me use it for my daily walk/blog.   We walked from school to the Botanic Gardens, all around the gardens, to the park, and back to school.  I was surprised to see so many flowers blooming already.  We spent some time in the tropical paradise area and imagined ourselves in Mexico.  We also spent some time sitting on the grass at the amphitheater watching the children run and play.  It made for great visiting and for soaking up the 70 degree sunny weather. 

I feel so blessed to be able to go on field trips with our children.  I love getting to be with my children during the day and seeing the rest of the children in the class.  I also love seeing the parents and getting to catch up with them. 

Going to the gardens reminded me of Logan and his choir being a part of the ground breaking ceremony for the new children's area last summer.  Which, of course, reminded me that we are missing Logan this week.  I was telling someone that it feels so strange to have a member of the family gone - especially when he's probably the nicest person in our family.  If Logan is the nicest, Abby is probably the most thoughtful.  Today I watched her find her friend's shoes, keep track of her walking partner, and make sure the boys didn't get too close to the street.  When someone in our house is sick, Abby is the best nurse.  She brings food, drinks, blankets, and stuffed animals to the sick one.  She rubs heads and writes love notes to us all.  She has a huge heart.  Her teacher summed it up very well for us when he said, "Abby is the first one on the scene when someone gets hurt, but you don't want to ever cross her."

Day 26 - 339 Days to go

I went for a walk this evening on the golf course with Coalie.  We waited until dusk and walked until the city lit the sky.  This is one of my favorite walks and I was sad that I didn't get a chance to bring the kids here when Lexi and Alex visited.  They went back home today and we will all miss them very much.  Logan also left for tour this morning for a week.  This is the second time Logan has been away this long and we all feel a bit lost without him.  Needless to say, our house is very quiet.

As I walked and missed the kids, I thought of the things that I want to do with them the next time they come to visit. 
Walk on the golf course at night
Go to red rocks
Hike at our favorite spot in the mountains

It was hard to make my usual lists since I was so busy missing them.  I thought about the morning I spent with Alex after we dropped Logan off.  We met Greg at Starbucks and Alex looked around in amazement.  He said, "Aunt Nae, it's just like on the movies.  They have laptops and everything."  On the way home he said how much he loved the city and decided he was a "citry."  A boy who likes the city and the country.   That made me laugh.

Day 25 - 340 Days to go

I'm writing this the day after because I didn't have access to a computer last night.  We ended up having quite an adventure trying to get back to Denver.  I'm not sure when I will learn my lesson about trying to travel in the mountains at spring time.  One time we missed a Bon Jovi concert.  This time we barely made it to drop off Logan at his choir tour bus . 

We left my in-laws early so we would have plenty of time to get back to Denver and miss the ski traffic.  Before we hit Gypsum, we saw a sign that I70 was closed.  We tried to visit with our family in Gypsum, but no one was home so we went on to Edwards to have lunch at a Mexican restaurant there.  We saw lots of stranded travelers and kept calling 511 for information about the highway.  You never know about road closures.  It could be for a couple of hours or it could be for a couple of days.  It was closed due to weather and multiple accidents.  Every time we called for an update, more of the road was closed.  Greg and I made a quick decision of getting a place to stay in case we couldn't get out.  I figured if we got it, we wouldn't need it, but if we didn't rent a room, we wouldn't be able to.  I checked in at the Inn at Riverwalk and was one of the last to get a room.  With six travelers, we were able to get a 2 bedroom condo.  The kids were delighted.  Especially the boys because they had their swimsuits.  They swam for 3 hours in the outside heated pool.  Lexi, Abby, and I found a bookstore so we read while the boys swam.

I had company for my walk.  Lexi, Alex, Logan and Coalie.  There is a beautiful trail along the river that we followed to the reflecting pond and freedom park.  We saw a piece of limestone from the Pentagon that is part of a memorial to the people who died there on September 11.  We looked for the skate park, but couldn't find it in the dark.  The snow covered trees were beautiful and the river sounded great.



The Edwards walkers




Logan and Alex - best friends since birth




Lexi, Logan and Alex and Coalie at end of leash...




Logan at the Pentagon Memorial in Edwards

 We got take out from a Chinese restaurant and everyone at the restaurant bar voted on us leaving for Denver in the middle of the night if the road opened.  Just after midnight and sleeping a few hours, we headed for Denver.  It was slow and slippery, but we made it home by 3 and still had 5 hours to get Logan to his bus.  The kids slept 3 times for a total of 8 hours.  The weather was unexpected, but so was the great time we had in Edwards.

Day 24 - 341 Days to go

Greg and I walked at my in-laws today.  They live on the end of a road with only a few houses so walking at their house means walking down the hill to the mailbox and then walking back up the very steep hill.  I can't even remember how far it is, but it feels far.  We walked with Coalie and met a couple of cars and dogs along the way.  One dog was very sweet and had a huge chunk of cactus stuck to her back foot.  Luckily, Greg got it out for her.  It was sunny and hot.  We stopped to look at the brochure of the house for sale.  It has views of the valley and Mt. Sopris, 5 Br's, 7 Ba's, a 1380 square foot studio and according to the brochure you will be astounded with the calmness and serenity it offers.  It is listed for $3,333,000.00.  It better offer a lot of serenity for that price.

We spent most of the day playing.  Greg, Lexi, Alex, and Logan played football and rode 4-wheelers while Abby rode bike. Neither Abby or I could watch the tackle football.  Alex got hit pretty hard several times and he just kept jumping up for more abuse.

Later we walked with our friends from London in Basalt.  We met at the Cafe Saxy and walked to the park and back.  We had a great  dinner at River Front Grill.  We have been lucky enough to see our friends once a year when they come to Colorado for skiing.  Mandy and I met 22 years ago in London.  It's a great story that I will tell another day.  We have been friends so long that now our families are friends and the kids think they are related.

Abby and Erin - the next generation of best friends

I called my mother-in-law and talked to her for an hour.  I told her we were missing her and she laughed.  She is so feisty.  I can't decide which Grandma Abby takes after, but I'm thinking it's both of them.  She is definitely strong, stubborn, and feisty - just like her Grandma's.

Day 23 - 342 Days to go

Alex went to school with Logan today so I took Lexi walking.  Lexi is a self-professed country girl who cannot see what is good about a city.  She did enjoy Park Meadows mall,  the Brown Palace, loved the decorations at the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown, and planned a trip to the Molly Brown house so she could see a historic house.  I thought it would be fun to take her downtown to show her part of my walk from yesterday.  We parked near Ink coffee shop on Little Raven and walked to the river.  It was another windy day so it was cold by the water.  Then we crossed over the pedestrian bridge towards downtown so she could see the yarn graffiti.  A few of summers ago, I went to Kansas to visit her and showed her how to knit and crochet.  She picked it up immediately and we had lots of fun making things.  Our next stop was the Tattered Cover in Lodo.  This is such an amazing store.  Lexi definitely shares my love of reading so we wandered through looking at books after having a hot drink and snack in the cafe.  I told her she could pick one book.  She really liked one of the hardcover books, but was appalled at the price so she found another book that cost less than half of the first.

We have ended the day in Carbondale at my in-laws home.  They are both out of town and it was so strange walking into their silent house.  When I looked at Abby and saw how sad she looked, I burst into tears.   Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss your loved ones until it smacks you in the face.

The good news is Greg came home from California today.  Life is so much nicer with him around:-)