It's Life

     I know I haven't been as diligent in blogging  as I usually am. Dave Milius' death really stunned our family. It was like a giant punch in the gut and I think it's going to be a while before we come to realize he's not going to walk in the door just as a game is starting.
     I was going to get back into my routine yesterday, but I wound up at Davis Hospital with my daughter who, after an ambulance ride and emergency surgery, is home and doing well.
     2013 hasn't started off real well for us. We have family sick with flu and pneumonia. We have family who have traveled out of the country and and all the stress that involves. It has NOT been a typical new year for us and I for one am ready for things to calm down and be as they should.
     I know from experience that things never stay the same. It's like the lyrics to the old county song, "life's about changes, nothing ever stays the same." It's so true, just when you are in the groove life throws you a fast ball, usually right between the eyes.
    All you can do is grab a bat and say, "Try that again and let me show you what I've got."

Whiteout

     I'm at a writer's retreat today and the snow is falling. I should really say it is blowing sideways and it's near whiteout conditions. Good for writing inspiration bad for traveling.
     The hubby is supposed to come up and get me tomorrow morning and then bring me back after the funeral and I'm a little worried he may not make it. Ogden Canyon is already a mess due to the widening project. They have it down to one lane in places.
     Keeping my fingers crossed that the snow passes and they get the roads cleared later tonight.

A Few Thoughts on Death

     Death comes to us all sooner or later. It comes to our families and our friends. Our mortal bodies aren't meant to last forever, we all know this and accept it. Yet, when death comes unexpectedly it is a shock to us.
     What really matters in the long run is not how we die, it's how we lived. Are our friends and family going to miss us and mourn our passing, or are we going to leave behind a trail of broken promises and wounded hearts? Did we raise our children with love and respect? Did we treat our spouses like they were the most important person in our lives? Did we treat everyone with kindness?
    If this is how we judge our time here on earth, then Dave Milius did a good job of it. His passing yesterday will leave a huge hole in his family and ours. His grandkids adored Papa. And he was always there for his children. He was a hard worker and an avid lover of the sport of basketball.
     I will miss him poking his head in our door just as a game was starting and him wandering through the kitchen to see what kind of food we were serving at game time. I makes his passing a little easier to bear to know that he never had to ask if it was okay. He knew he was welcome.
     Our lives were permanently joined when Kristin and David married and now we share our beautiful grandkids, but we share more than that we share a history. Greg Milius used to work for my husband. All the boys have, at one time or another played basketball with Gary. Teresa used to babysit for us.
    It seems our lives have been woven together for a long time and they will continue to be.
    If leaving behind a legacy of love is the test of our time here on earth, Well done, Papa Dave, well done.

Koda

   
Our dog, Koda, sleeps in my room, on a little bed with a blanky. I take him out three or four times a day and I make sure he has food and water on a daily basis. To say he is an important and spoiled part of our family would be right on the mark.
     Tonight our dog started choking on his food and my daughter and son asked if I was going to give him mouth to mouth. NOT!
     I don't mean to sound heartless, but you see our dog eats his poop. We try to stop him, but we usually can't get to him in time. I try to pretend it isn't happening that way I don't vomit.
      I love this dog. He's special. He loves me and I think he's really cute, but I draw the line at getting near his mouth. Not only does he eat his own poop, he likes to chew on my boys dirty socks.
     Now, you mother's with prepubescent boys know how bad their socks can get. They have an odor of there own. It's as close to chemical warfare as you can get without having to call the Haz-Mat team.
     So even if our dog didn't eat his own poop, chewing on putrid socks would be enough to keep me from giving him mouth to mouth.
     All I can say is he better take smaller bites and chew really well, because he's on his own if there's a problem.

Happy Birthday, Katie, Yesterday.

     Yesterday was my daughter Katie's birthday. She turned 27 which means that we are now basically the same age because I still feel like I'm in my twenties. Katie, her husband CJ and their adorable baby Liam moved up here in August and have been living with us while they are buying a house. It has been great having them here and getting to hold and kiss baby Liam everyday. She was one of the California holdouts. Now nine of my ten kids live either with me or within ten minutes of us. It makes for living birthday parties and weekends.
     I dedicated my latest book to her because she read every chapter several times and helped edit it. She also made dinner and watched my boys so I could concentrate on writing. She was a huge help.
     We had cheesecake and hot fudge brownie sundaes in her honor last night. Happy birthday, Katie. I'm so glad you're here with us. We missed you. 

Christmas Everyday?

     The tree is down, the decorations are put away and we are back in the routine of school. I am usually glad to be done with it, not because I don't love the holiday season, but let's face it, it's a lot of work. Especially, for the mom's. Between the shopping, cooking, cleaning, baking and wrapping the holiday's are stressful.
     I enjoy it when it's here, but I am happy when it's over. I realize I'm in the minority. Some people would love to have the season last all year and that's great.
     What about you? Are you relieved the holiday's are behind us? Or are you one of those who could celebrate Christmas everyday?

Happy New Year!

     Happy New Year! I hope your night was fun and spent with those you love.
     Have you made those resolutions yet? Here it is the first day of the new year and I haven't put pencil to paper yet. So much for that resolution to be more organized. I haven't even made it and I've already messed it up.
     These are a few of the goals I'm mulling over for the new year. Find my house cleaning schedule and try to stick to it. That means I have to clear off my desk and find it. That's an intimidating thought.
     Another one is to get back on the treadmill and re-lose the weight I gained back when my treadmill broke several months ago. I have stuck with some of my healthier eating habit though and for that I'm pretty happy. I have gone to non-fat milk and stuck with it. I eat more vegetables than I ever have before and I have found that I really like them. I have also discovered the sour cherry balls that they have on the candy isle at Smiths and I am totally addicted to them. It's a problem.
     I'm trying to make sure that I have my months worth of  meals planned on my menu planner so that I spend less time at Walmart. Hopefully, that will mean that I spend less money at Walmart. Which is the basis for that goal and knowing what I'm making for dinner every night take away a lot of stress.
     I am also trying to figure out a way to up my daily word count for my writing. Or to actually have a daily word count since its been hit or miss all along. It's hard to set aside a pre-determined amount of time when it feels like everyone needs you every minute of every day. That's the price you pay for being a mom.
     And there is a whole new set of goals that come with that.
     Happy New Year anyway.