Good-bye 2013

Overall 2013 has been a good year.  Yes, there has been disappointments, but no major personal crisis.  Some happenings have been my heel surgery, Becky getting disability, and the house being stuccoed and painted.  The surgery has taken a long time to heal and has slowed me down, but hopefully it has fixed the problem.  Becky seems to be on the road to recovery to an independent lifestyle.  The house still has a few things that need to be done, trim around the front windows and new gutters, but for the most part looks good.

A few of the largest and most exciting events were Austin graduating from high school and then went off to UCLA.  The whole process was long and challenging.  Even though Austin made some major mistakes when applying to colleges, everything turned out for the best.  He seems happy and I get to see him every few weeks.  Definitely a win-win situation.

Personally, I've gotten back to a hobby I love...quilting. I plan on taking a very challenging class on it in the new year and feel very insecure about it.  There are a few quilting projects I still have to finish, but any good quilter usually has a few UFO's hanging around...LOL!  Another activity that I've gotten back to is gardening and enjoy getting outside and communing with nature.

On the downside of 2013.  Two friends have had strokes, but luckily the results have been minor.  I also lost a friend to stupidity (not mine).  I look at it as some things aren't meant to be, but life goes on, but it doesn't hurt any less.  Also a big loss was  Penny, my precious dog, died in April.  She was so special in so many ways.  At least she's no longer in pain.

When I contemplate 2013 there has been some loss, but the gains outweigh the losses.  Good-bye 2013!

Awesome Day!

Austin and I started our day by going to Walmart on the " Great PS4 Hunt".   They had them in stock...YAHOO!!!  Austin carried it out of the store with a huge grin on his face with a grip that no one would have been able to break.  So good to see him happy!

Our next adventure was picking Liz up and driving to Jamal.  It was a beautiful ride into the back country to a small restaurant to have a late breakfast.  As a family we were able to share memories and antidotes.  Then we headed back to civilization to but Christmas trees.  Liz got her first tree since living independently.  so happy I had gotten to share this milestone with her.

Austin drove Liz home and helped decorate her tree and then came here to decorate our tree.  What a great kid...oops man!  Then it was time to relax and end our day!

Our usual tradition has changed, but we still enjoyed ourselves.  We no longer travel to Potrero to have breakfast and then cut down our tree, since our little family is down by 2 members and Becky doesn't participate in many activities.  Another change, but it was awesome spending time with my grand kids!

Super Busy Day

Wow! What a day!  Started as usual with caring for Louie, checking his blood sugar level and emptying urinals.  Then it was off to home Depot to get items I needed to work on the house.  Then it was home to give Louie meds and then sweep the patio area and hook up the washer and dryer.  Also had to put air in the tires of my car and the truck.  When Louie's caretaker came I was off to recycle TVs and printers.  Arriving at home again it was time to give Louie a shot and more meds.  After the caretaker left I did 2 loads of laundry, put a new light fixture outside the kitchen door, and tried to put another light fixture on the front of the house, but couldn't.  Continued to sweep up more sand and cleaned out the front gardens.  Louie wanted candy so off I went to Walmart to get him a sweet treat. 

In the afternoon, I met with the stucco company and they inspected the house.  They found that the color isn't even, there are some spots that are darker than other areas.  So they're going to put another coating on it to even out the color.  After they left it was time to fold clothes and clean up inside.  Finally it was time to sit and relax for a while. 

The phone rang and Sharon called asking if I wanted to go for a walk.  Of course I did and we ran into Linda Sparks who lives down the street and we had to chat and catch up.  When I got home it was time to make supper for Louie and feed the dogs. 

At last, it was time to watch TV and relax.  After taking a shower it was time to get Louie ready for bed.  Now I'm sitting here writing and watching 'Bones'.  

What a day!  Not sure where my energy came from...perhaps I should have bottled some of it.