RIP Momma Nola

Momma Nola
October  14, 1952 - December 27, 2011

One of the sweetest women and best moms lost her battle to cancer this week. We recently saw Momma a few weeks ago and even then her spirit was still strong as she and Dad would dance between the rooms in the house when she got up to visit and sit for awhile with friends and family. She laughed, cried, helped C decorate the Christmas tree, got up with a burst of energy when C and I were taking turns being sick from a sushi dinner one night, told me stories about C growing up. One of the funniest things though is when on the first night we were there and she asked how C and I met because of a pair of George Carlin concert tickets that some friends of his gave him, and thats when I learned who the freinds were...Momma & Dad lol! We both looked at each other, smiled, and laughed about how funny it is how fate works. You would have made an amazing mother-in-law, and in away even for a brief moment of spending time with you in person, it felt like I did get to have you as a mom-in-law and had come home. Thank you for loving us so deeply and accepting me into your family. We love you and will miss you dearly and we will see you again someday in Heaven. May you rest in peace sweet mom.

Roommate & the Holidays

Yay, we were able to finally rent out the other room in our house to a good friend of ours :-). We're all excited about being able to financially help each other out.
Well it is looking like we wont be decorating a tree this year as things are pretty tight when it comes to the pocketbook and so we decided that we will go with out a tree this year and get one next year. Things probably wont be so rough next year either (emotionally & financially). Thank you all for the holiday cards so far though. We have been setting them up to enjoy.
We also got internet & basic cable tv too which has been quite nice and is making it easier to look for work. The housekeeping business gig looks like it might be picking up soon. Our new roommate, Mo, knows of a few potential clients for me and she is going to put in a good word with a local construction company owner who stops by the coffee shop all the time since he is looking for a housekeeper for his business. So we shall see how that turns out. One of my goals over the holidays is to come up with business cards and flyers for what I do to drum up more business.
We both are also looking at trying to take some college classes again, possibly even take a class together at the same college. Something we haven't done before. A lot depends on funding though.
Things in many ways are better than a year ago at this time but in some ways not. Its nice to have a place together, both of us working part time, and having finally met most of his family especially his Mom. C and Mom N decorated the tree at Mom N and his stepdad's. It turned out really well :-).

Our House

We're really enjoying our house especially the views in the morning and evening with the sunrises & sunsets over the fairway. Chris isn't really big on letting Bambi & friends go wandering by since he would prefer to have them as a meal but he's managing. After all he does think my cooking talents have improved immensely this past year ;-).

I'm currently enjoying watching The Chronicles of Narnia while petsitting. It's been years since I've read all the books but I haven't ever seen the movies. They're really good!

Blooms for New Beginnings

So August was a rather busy month with 3 things not so great (Maggie getting sick, purse stolen, and then my surgery) but everything ended up turning out for the best. C and I got our first place together as of September 1st, and are very happy with our new digs, including the hot tub. The bid for the Navy contract is in and Mike and I are just waiting to hear back whether we will be awarded the contract (keeping fingers crossed). C has lots of classes and tests he is doing over the next month or so that hopefully he passes. Just after my birthday C has family coming out to visit since his sis Jen is gettting married. Looking forward to finally meeting more of his family.

Kites

The beach was packed yesterday when we went and apparently the thing to do is fly kites here in WA. Lol both of us thought it was cool but weird since having lived in CA you wouldn't be allowed to park on the beach for starters and most people would have been IN the water not NEXT to the water :-p. In fairness though, the water was a icey cold. Although it was warmer and less crowded up at my beach where I survey and where we went first. This makes C's second trip with me and it's much nicer to get to share beach time with him than going by myself. We've already made plans to go for next time with the Jeep and he's planning on taking his board.

Return to M6

He is definitely happier today than he has been when in comes to being able to work as he was able to return to M6 doing his firefighter stuff with 'The Dude' attitude even if it's just doing paper pushing at the moment. We're still waiting on the MRI results and hopefully they're good so that he can start going on calls again soon.

Spending lots of quality time the past several weeks together has been great and we've been able to get to some deeper levels of intimacy too. Things definitely go better when we work together toward common goals.

Sunshine, Balance, & Laughter

Aww, finally spring is here with so many more days of sunshine than rainy ones. The boat finally is back from being fixed for your dad and I'm so stoked that you two have found a couple boats that interest you. Although having your leg in a brace isn't all that fun these past few days it has been nice for the two of us to be able to spend more time together lately. Sure was fun yesterday watching King Arthur with you ;-). I love that you are considering taking up dancing lessons with me lol & that we recently were able to work out at the gym. Nice to be able to do things with you and create more memories.

Olympic Sunsets

So I was driving home from Bel-town recently with Maggie and thinking of C as I usually do often, and there was this wonderful sunset against the Olympics over the Canal.

We sure do live in a pretty area. It's kind of like having a litte piece of paradise :-).

Things with C have been touch & go lately as he has been working 16 hr days and for two different stations. I recently got an internship and registered for classes to work on a certificate to go with my degree which has been keeping me really busy. Time together seems more precious than ever and yet we don't always say the right things with each other lately. Hopefully things will get more balanced soon.

Luck O' the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It's a working day for C. Tomorrow I start work at my new internship with SDNR. I'm totally excited and hope it goes well. Tomorrow is the meet & greet everyone and see my new office then head out to the field to view the project site. Today I am just doing my best to stay relaxed and spend time with my dog, Maggie.

Protecting What's Most Precious

Recently I had to let a former friend of mine know she wasn't allowed to contact me by phone or see me anymore because she was causing more harm than good and threatening what was precious to us-our relationship. It is a decision that has been a long time in coming and was one of the better decisions I've made in awhile. Just like on a simpler level when it comes to taking care of other's pets you should ask the the person about their availability and offer to compensate them. You talking to your dad about that regarding my taking care of his pets when he needs someone too again helped us.

You have to protect what is most precious to you for it to survive and grow :-).

Boneshaking, Weather Changing, Blissful Funniness

It's been a busy month for us. C has been quite literally working almost constant and I've been doing a lot of stuff 'behind the scenes' as in laundry/errands/walking dogs that kind of thing. The weather this week has been definitely something to write home about in terms of bizarre. Everything from wind to rain to hail to snow to sun! Don't blink because every 5 minutes it will change.

Started reading a steampunk airpirate zombie series by Cherie Priest. Still in the first book called Boneshaker. It's really good. The other two books are Clementine and then Dreadnought.

The times we are able to catch up and spend time together lately have been a lot nicer. Last week C took me out for a really nice sushi/steak dinner in Olympia. It was one of those places where they make your dinner in front of you. There was a family across from us that had all flown in from different areas around the nation to be with their son who was shipping out for Afghanistan this week. Seems like every family has someone in the War overseas these days. We had a nice time visiting with them and then did our grocery shopping afterwards before heading home.

Last night we went out to dinner at one of our favorite local spots. We hadn't been there in awhile. Dinner conversation was more animated and sober at times then we normally are. You know there's something that I find it interesting so many people ask you along the way "where do you think you'll be in a year, five years, etc.". Just planning 6 months in advance is hard enough. I'm not sure why any of us would know where we will be longer than that ;-).

So we were relaxing last night and the topic of "white dogs in the field" and "the moon is really low tonight" came up again lol...and C honestly asked me what the 'moon' was he couldn't remember. I told him it's ok..but that it was a gas station sign. Yeah that was a good trip/move. Hope the next one will be a good one too.

All Things Steamy No Pun Intended

In a recent nightly conversation we had C was sharing with me that he was becoming increasingly interested in the topic of steampunk. He sent me a link that talked about the history of steampunk in Seattle. It's a fascinating read and you should definitely check out the link. I can understand and appreciate why he would be interested in it because without even knowing it I am interested in it too (even more so since reading that article). I'm currently trying to check out some of Cherie Priest's books from the library to find out more.


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On another note, C's big firefighter academy test last Saturday went well. He passed the hands on portion with no problems and the written portion he will find out about in a month after it goes to the state for review & grading. We're pretty sure he passed ;-).
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The last few days have been kind of quiet with us just kind of doing our own individual stuff at the moment. I suppose that is to make us appreciate when things are busy & good.

Tonight I am going to try my cooking skills at making pumpkin soup from a vegetarin recipe book my sister has loaned me. I'm hoping it turns out well. I've been trying to work on becoming a better cook as I finally have a man that seems to want me to be able to share the cooking part of the time in the kitchen when we get our own place together (hopefully later this year as promised :-) ). Will fill you in on how the recipe turned out on the next blog.

Laughing Silly Extreme

Oh my gosh, today C had dental work done. First time in who knows how long and one of many appointments to come. So he went in for a cleaning to help with the start of having his gums feeling better and they gave him a really big shot to numb the area as usual. He called me afterwards to share how things went and the minute he started talking I couldn't stop laughing :-D!! Half his face was numb and his tongue was numb and it was just hilarious.

We went out for lunch and of course right about the time the food came the numbing med started to wear off and I just felt bad cause he just looked miserable. Anyways, he is at home resting and I'm happy that I get to see him tomorrow.

I feel like a lucky girl since lately I've gotten to see him every day. It's been really nice!

Another bit of silliness...would equal my dorkiness ;-). Yesterday I was out quickly taking pictures in the sunshine & wind when I was trying to open my car door and I swear the wind was working against me because I tried to open the door repeatedly and no such luck. Then finally it did and came back to hit me in the nose! Ouch :-(. Oh my nose was so soar this morning when I woke up. I was sharing this info with C over lunch when upon getting ready to leave I managed to spill the pepper on the table, stick my finger in the ketchup, and then was writing some stuff down and wrote on the table..doh lol! He looked at me and said "babe, what the heck was in your dr. pepper?" ...errr, nothing lol. Yup, I seem to be more of a dork today than normal.

Every Day Joys & Bits of Heaven

My last note was about the quick little moments and this is a continuation of that. Going to bed early to be able to wake up early and load the laundry in the car and wear my pj's up to see you was totally awesome this morning. The fact that I was able to get my month's worth of laundry done, spend quiet time with you all snuggled up in bed, run our errands together in town, and then followed by lunch & movies at the house all just totally turned into one of those heavenly days. Being blessed with more of those daily joyful moments melts away the on-call exhausted moments. I'll take both kinds of days though. More of an adventure that way.