Post Party post

What a weekend! Funeral on Friday, I helped with the food for the dinner after, Saturday I gave a baby shower for my neighbor--first time ever to do that, and in the evening I took dinner to a family that has a teenager in the hospital for several weeks now. Sunday was choir then we went to Grandpa's house for his 90th b-day party. I have to say, Wally's sisters really know how to throw a party. They had the best decorations--interesting, not just "decorations." They were big pictures of the family growing up, and a bunch of Verle's stuff from his war years, and then the tables had more pictures, etc. The food was good and the whole thing was well organized. My assignment was rolls and butter. I am so lucky to get that type of job. Costco and home again. Today Wally is four-wheeling with a couple of his brothers. He left at 6 am and I dozed back off instead of getting up. Around 7:10 or so I came to and realized that Laura's bus was to come at 7 and Yikes!! I jumped out of bed, and there was no Laura or bus to be seen. She had everything already for the day since a couple of days ago, and she showered last night, so that part was ready. I checked her toothbrush and it was wet, checked her meds case and this morning's meds were missing, looked in her drawer to see if she had tried to slip out with her holey pants, but they were there, folded up nice and neat. It was crazy! She actually had gotten up with her alarm and did at least three of the most important things to do to get ready for school. I'm sure she was on the curb waiting for Kathy, her favorite bus driver, and so there was no honk, just board 1109 (also named Belle by Laura of course) and go!! It was a little anti-climatic, to wake up and have part of the day already gone. My plan was to make French Toast for breakfast, her favorite, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. So I did my 45 minute walk alone, since Wally's gone, and then watered all the flowers in the front and back yards. I have several hours of uninterrupted time before me!! What a luxury that is!!

Two weeks off

We just finished our latest "extra" gig at Deer Valley, and now we (choir) have two weeks with no Tues-Wed-Fri-Sat rehersals or perfomances. It seems like endless days stretching before us! (We always have Thursdays and Sundays, and never have Mondays.) So to fill up the empty time in my schedule, I told my neighbor I would give her a baby shower next Saturday. Today the invites need to go out, I think that's our FHE activity, deliver invites. Then I will stress for a week working out the food, etc. We are doing a little quilt for her--I know, it always has to involve a quilt--but it will be a fun time if anyone comes besides her and me. It will even be fun with just her and me. Sunday is Wally's dad's 90th birthday party, a big shebang, and then Monday Laura starts school. WOW! Did we really make it through another summer with out involving the authorities?
About Wally's no job situation: It's still the same--no job. He is golfing this morning with some friends--they go every Monday a.m. and do 18 holes. We have had many discussions about the jobless situation, and communication helps. I am able to sleep better, for at least a night. For now, my biggest frustration besides no paycheck and how do we pay the bills is: All this vacation time and no vacation!
What I would do if I could: Fly to NYC and see baby Piper and her parents. Fly to Ketchikan and see babies Sophie and Maya and their parents. Fly to Maui with Wally and lay on the beach, snorkel, hike, sleep, eat well-prepared fish, etc. Cruise the waters of Central America and be as lazy as possible for about 10 days or so. Buy a new computer. Go to a fat farm and work it out. Fly to San Diego again and see Pete and Kristin. Take Kelton to Disneyland with Mimi. Get new carpet in many of the rooms in my house. Buy a new bike.
Okay, now what I am so glad I can do:
Walk almost every morning with my healthy, happy husband. Visit by phone or blog with my kids (some in person!) Sew stuff with my newly repaired sewing machine. Drive places in my newly repaired car. Sing in the choir. Move forward on my office related projects--writing, publishing, scanning, etc. Read good books. Pick fresh tomatoes out of my garden and eat them. Sit on my deck early in the morning and study. Breathe. Speak. Ride a bike. Do the dishes (that means I have food to eat). Scour my kitchen sinks until they are pure white. Talk with Brenda. Sleep in a comfortable bed next to the man I love. Watch the Olympics and knit (woo hoo Phelps and others.) Dream. Pray. Go to the temple. Meditate. Listen to music, scriptures, books, etc. while I work in my quilting room. Blog. (Ha ha, just had to add that one.)

Favorite Reading

I just finished a book that I really like, titled "Mormon Scientist, the Life & Faith of Henry B. Eyring". One of my favorite stories from the book:
"Henry's second son Hal dutifully majored in physics but not with much enthusiam. He frequently sought his father's help with homework, as anyone living under the same roof with a math genius would. He later recalled how one day his father challenged him. "My father was at a blackboard we kept in the basement. Suddenly he stopped. 'Hal, we were working this same kind of problem a week ago. You don't seem to understand it any better now than you did then. Haven't you been working on it?' " Hal admitted that he hadn't, and got this reponse from his father: "'You don't understand. When you walk down the street, when you're in the shower, when you don't have to be thinking about anything else, isn't this what you think about?' When I told him no, my father paused. It was really a very tender and poignant moment, because I knew how much he loved me and how much he wanted me to be a scientist. Then he said, 'Hal, I think you'd better get out of physics. You ought to find something that you love so much that when you don't have to think about anything, that's what you think about.' " (p. 196)
Good advice, huh.