NEXT!

So if you  recall, I was ruminating about what is next in the big adventure that is life. I am here to tell you........not what I  planned. That great adventure that is every day, it has arrived and here is what I have 'new' since last we met on my blog.

Best Buddy potluck was a hit on the heels of Homecoming! Mom and Dad enjoyed their son being 16, cool and demonstrating his new found interest in break dancing......ok, I was alarmed and fairly certain we were going to the hospital for a fracture, but we (he) survived without event. He did dance well too. He has it going on. The girls love him, the boys make noises with him. What more can I guy ask for? Great food, great friends. We are so enjoying this time with our forever friends.......it took us forever to get to know them and we will be bonded as friends forever.

I had a birthday. Wonderful day. Oh it did not start out with the appearance of wonderful, but it ended up being that way. You see I started off cranky as we woke up 7 minutes before the bus was to arrive. Now I am good and Cody can be, uh, motivated to move faster, but 7 minutes. I think not! SO I got us both dressed, lunch packed and breakfast to go made and had to take him to school. There I had to wait for the bus to catch up to us and then throw him .....let him out of the car so that I could speed along to work.  There I missed my therapy appointment and my traction. I was really looking forward to getting 'pulled apart' as Cody describes it. Thus I was on time to my first meeting. YEAH! And so the day was off to a grand start. A pot of coffee.....no a spilled pot of coffee, allowed me to clean my entire work space so that I could make a new pot of coffee. And by noon it was work as usual. When my husband asked how my day was going, I reflected that I had not harmed anyone so that was good! The day passed as usual from there with one notable exception. I had dozens of birthday emails, well wishes, jokes, cards, all contributing to a brighter disposition by days end. I actually was laughing at how agitated I had become over something so insignificant as being late as compared a real problem like work hunger. Perspective:-)

When I arrived home I had received flowers, a GREAT stampin gift set, and a handmade Book About Us by Master Cody Gates. Lovely. Oh and I did I mention an iPad!! WooHoo! Love it. I can only do like ten things so far but I am willing to learn. Apple store here I come. Cody makes everyday one to remember. Happy Birthday Mom!

SO the weekend continued to bring  more little celebrations and gifts. I am blessed beyond measure. I spent the weekend shopping, eating, churching, visiting. Good times. The bestest visit was that with old and very dear friends Benjamin and Magdalene Komanapolli. I will always hold these people in my heart. I had the privilege to meet them more than 20 years ago...ok 25 years ago, and stay with them in their home in India. I am so blessed when they come to town. Some of my dear friends joined us at Olive Garden for food and fellowship.

And the weekend came to an end. The big news from Cody was FALL BREAK.  He got to sleep in until 6:30 a.m. and go to UCP all day. LOVED IT. He runs the place or believes he could. And they all treat him pretty special. Great place

Then we arrived at today. Another birthday lunch with dear friend Kelly. We were brought together more than 20 years ago because of bandages. Who knew! Lots of fun. Then the phone rang. Found dad on the floor near but not his wheelchair and unable to move. Two hours later we are in the emergency department,  CT and xrays done and admitted for a fractured hip. He will have surgery tomorrow. Poor daddy. He would tell me it hurts one minute then ask what happened the next. He has the curse or blessing of a very short memory.....depends on which moment we are in which way that goes. Today we have the surgery complete, rod and pins. Now the real work begins!!

So I am preparing for bed and ready to wake up and declare "NEXT!" Let's see what tomorrow will bring as I got a pretty good idea where we ended up as of this point.

What's Next?

Every day is an adventure....essentially.....which should intrigue even the most remotely interested human. There are things we can do with little to no thought. And in the end it comes off without a hitch, well, most of the time. For those times when things DON'T go according to plan (assuming you had one) you are given really two options in life; roll with it or freak out. In my world, my little circle I find rolling with it to be the status quo. No matter what our parents do to us, we go with the flow.

That plan that didn't happen provides hours of fun. For example this could be a great wall ornament, maybe one of those tricky camera shots or it could be evidence of one of those times that, well, had little to no thought. I am just sayin! These, however, are My FAVORITE kind of moments. I would leave it personally, at least long enough to gain attention from the friends and neighbors, possible some free food.

Sometimes there is so little to do that doing nothing with whatever is in reach can yield the best entertainment. I mean it may start out as breakfast or light house cleaning, but what is the fun in that! So a little tape, streamers, marker, food and Voila! A stylish hat that most certainly would have made an I Love Lucy Episode or a wedding 'wish' where a ring should be. Who knew!

In the end I can honestly say I think there is a fine line between having fun and having a full blown breakdown. But on the bright side both can provide a much needed vacation from the insanity that is work, responsibility, pain, frustration, sadness, boredom, lack of craft supplies and the other things that so freely capture the waking moments of any day.  I am always eager to catch a glimpse of those around me taking action to seize the day..............or at least the youngest brother, long enough to show the love!

In retrospect I see those moments in life I captured well and those that would have benefited from far less intensity. Intentional living..........  seeing each second as a chance to engage, improve, enjoy! It allows me to remain positive, hopeful and excited knowing that I am passing through, not a resident but a guest in the land of men. I know I am not perfect but I know I am perfected. Because of that I can wake up in the morning excited to see.....................What's Next? I will let you know!





FRIENDS!

So many friends, so much to do, so much fun! We have had crazy busy fun things going on in the midst of our daily " life". It is all of these fillers.....or are these the life and the work is the filler, hmmmm....another post I think, but to complete the original thought....that make life so wonderful!

Whether we are having a great day or not, we find friends all around us. There seems to be a great amount of genuine love, complete empathy and a familiar sense of humor about things only those walking in our shoes can fully understand. Thank goodness we have each other! I say this often. As those ahead of us navigate the road ahead, they share it with us, and in turn we will share it with those who come behind. Phew, so glad I have others to follow:-)

In just the last couple weeks we have had many opportunities to hang out with our gang!

Isaiah's Birthday Bowling Party. Lots of smiling, boy noise and food! Good times as kids chased each other around the  ball return, ate cake and sang with gusto. I can tell you this, the bowling alley may reconsider it's all you can eat pizza package after having these growing boys in the house.

Randy and Riley's Birthday. Not right! We have known Randy way long before Ashley, Riley and Ally were born and when big brother ricky was just a little cutie pie. Sorry Ricky! Still cute, but now taller than........... everyone! Great time.

Anthony's Birthday was full of pizza, arcade games and prizes. These kids are something at fenageling prizes from the counter staff. They look up at them with those bright eyes, flash a grin and walk away with twice as much as they earned from tickets. Of course, we pay 700 times what they are worth, but it is all about the prize:-)

Picnic in the Park is one of our favorite events as it lets kids be kids, and moms sit. Yes, mothers sit and talk and drink coffee all without chasing children around the block, searching for them as they slip away silently or taking some inedible object out of their hands. It is a great day for us all and we enjoy knowing more about each other and the journey that brought us together. Let me tell you, many have been through difficult times beyond imagination and have emerged strong and courageous. Inspirational is putting it lightly. Good times!

Sharing DS Walk for Down Syndrome which was excellent. Thousands of folks with the CUTEST kids on earth. Okay some of them aren't kids by definition, but they keep us young no matter how old we all are. AZ Team Mascots, dancing, games, food and a great walk around Tempe Diablo stadium. The event and Sharing Down Syndrome is run by no other than my BFF Gina Johnson, mother to us all! I, like so many families, have been touched for life by this woman's love and passionate commitment to our kids. I cry just thinking about her....it's a good cry:-)

As you can see we have a common theme to all our activities of late. Fun, Friends and Silliness! We are fortunate to be loved by so many great people. I am blessed to be supported by such amazing women, all who inspire me to reach higher.

Here's to Aging

Well as I approach yet another wonderful anniversary of my 18th birthday I find more physician orders for investigation and fewer working parts. Whatever does this mean? I know that these bodies are vessels or better failing, temporary houses. But I also know that while I am in "the house" I would like to assure that the plumbing is sound and their are no rotting beams or rusty hardware.

So here it is, the C word. I know, I mentioned this in passing before. I don't know why but I have resisted this for 2 years. My doctor was actually quite rude handing me the order for a colonoscopy well before my 50th birthday....BECAUSE I was turning 50. That is like punishment for reaching a landmark day. I quickly replied "No way. That is not a proper celebration for the half century mark. You don't give that sentence to someone who is going to turn 50 but because they DID turn 50!" He laughed and gave me permission to wait until after my 50th birthday. I jumped right on it...................more or less..........okay two years to get it scheduled but I have it done. It is on the books. I would appreciate some emergency or crisis intervention from anyone but I have a feeling I will have to bite the bullet or laxative, whatever the appropriate preparation may include.

Then there is this whole "back" thing. What a trip. I have gone from not being able to stand on Fathers day to reduced pain but no feeling whenever I sit, cross my legs, keep my legs straight or flex my legs. Other than that I am good to go, except for the first and second toe, both feet. Ahhh and here it is. I have avoided diabetes and neuropathy (loss of sensation to feet) with weight loss and diet only to develop neuropathy (loss of sensation to feet) from my back, aka, radiculopathy. I find that ridiculous! HAHA And what is with the tail bone? I have more discomfort from that now then when I was thrown from a horse years ago.....Yee Ha! I do remember that fractured pelvis though, and head, and I think something else. Oh yes, ego.

But not to worry. I have to tell you it's all good as my husband says. These are but light, momentary afflictions (interruptions) that have no bearing on my here and now, or my eternity in glory. They are irrelevant in the big picture. They could affect me badly if I let them but why? I have perspective around me on a daily basis. There are those with more or less, better or worse. I am good. And if all goes well my meds will prevent me from remembering the "test" so all I have to worry about is remembering to get there for the test. If I ever am to have a memory lapse this would be the best time ever. HA.

To be clear I will not, like many television personalities, show you pictures or describe any gory details. I wont be on YouTube.....unless there is an illegal camera phone in the room. I will not repeat comments made by physicians who speak candidly when they think you are sedated. I will not discuss my bowel prep or outcome in any manner. I will focus on the "afterlife", i.e. after the test resuming my wonderful life. I look forward to that. See, perspective! It only takes a miserable procedure and a pain in the back to remind you of how great life is. Once home I will sigh deeply, sit on my special chair cushion and enjoy a night of boxing with my husband. Thank  goodness I like to watch violent sports:-)

Time Flies When you are Having a Life

I am always amazed how much time can whiz by when I have a laundry list of things to do, and yet it can drag painfully slow when I have things like meetings........work.........colonoscopys. You know, you want that extra leisurely Saturday and bam, you have a teenager with 7 events and a hang nail that well, will just have to wait. But it is all good! We say that often, and we nearly always mean it. We are blessed in many ways. So the run down of the past couple of weeks looks like this.

1. Seattle

Great trip. Fast, but lovely. Aunt Cathy is 90 in September and still as sharp as ever. Great visit and we got to go sight seeing on Monday. Cody had a blast. As you can see Cathy is tiny so Cody had to be gentle! He did a great job.

On the plane!

At the Locks.

At the Gardens - the Pacific bay.

Things are looking up!!

Aunt Cathy and Cody

2. The birthday came next. Nice quiet evening at home. Dinner and cake. Gifts and cards. Perfect. Who could ask for anything more......Ah, that would be Cody. " It's my birthday mom. I want lots of friends and a party." "No dear", I explained, "too late to plan a party. You are too old, and it is a school night, and I thought you didn't like parties!"...."But I do!" "Next year. Sorry son."......so I contacted a couple of his school friends that he is very close to. Okay 8 school friends he is very close to. And we had a surprise party at the bowling alley. Do this!! Even if you have to mortgage something. No mess, no cleaning, solid entertainment in a reasonably confined space. Unlimited pizza and soda. Perfect. He thought this was the best ever. And I am so glad his friends could come. Sugared them up and then sent them home! Good times. And if that was not enough in the morning, the 5 and Diner, where we have had breakfast for 16 years every Saturday for more than 10 of those, they decorated and sang to him when he arrived. Now that is celebrity status. He is one awesome young man.

For me? That is so nice!

Our favorites: Carol, Rhonda and Bill!

The Gang and a few brothers and sisters to boot!

The "Dinner Party"

That is one BIG wish!





Thanks Grandma and Art!

3. School. Yup it is in full gear and going great. He is the first special ed student to be on the yearbook. Yearbook is a five day a week class for a semester. It is a new thing for us all but the teacher and kids are great. He loves it. He has already taken a few photos. And they took some of him and some of his team. AND then we went to the Diamondback Baseball game thanks to Best Buddies. Great time. 5 families from our group went. Serious amounts of popcorn were eaten!

 Well, there you have it. You are now as caught up to my  life as I am. The rest of the family is grand. Brother Rob is turning 50!!!  Been there, done that! Their #3 has flown the coop. Time to turn that room into a mom cave! Jan and Art are still basking in the cool northern temperatures. My cousin, Kirsten, FAMOUS. Written her second article for Relevant. Check her out http://relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/you-cant-store-trust-piggy-bank
Neither of my parents have broken anything new this week. Awesome!! My siblings are both still upright and doing well. Which is great considering how old they are. :-) Rich has the football mojo going and I have all the laundry done. Over all I would say this is a dandy start to a new week.

Let this be a great week. As I told my nephew who is dying in his first of many medical classes, keep your eye on the prize. Do not let the small things or momentary struggles keep you from achieving your goals. You can do anything if you CHOOSE to! Don't you feel motivated now? Make it count.

Jude 24-25