Reunions

I went to England for the weekend. Yep, I know that sounds mad but there was a youth group reunion I really really wanted to attend and I had limited time with the new job and everything. So I flew out on Thursday night and came home Sunday, even though a volcanic ash cloud threatened to leave me stranded in the UK ( no big shakes, would have many places to stay) and I say you cant argue with God, thankfully I just sneaked out before the cloud really moved over the UK big time

But back to the reunion.....there is something about the relationships that I made as an adolescent that have been incredibly sustaining for me and a rich memory. To be honest my adolescence was not a great time in my life, there were lots of things happening at home that had a huge negative impact on my life. I have worked hard to block out much of my 12-18 year period of my life. However, this weekend I saw many many photos of me in that age period which I have none, absolutely erased them from my life. And I looked happy in all of them, I mean really happy, and I was transported back to a place where in many ways my life was in chaos but there were these 2 youth workers called Bob and Malcolm who felt it was important to invest in the lifes of adolescents. Then there was this group of kids for whatever reason we really connected, were incredibly accepting of each other. They gave me an identity, a place to belong at a time in my life when I was really lost, and I realize now how rich and sustaining and life giving and blessed that time was.

Back to life now though, always lovely to come home. I am loving my new/old job as district nurse, it feels right, it fits and working for myself is already proving very beneficial.

Looking forward to a month of May where we celebrate Elliots graduation (phew) it was touch and go there for a while but I actually think the boy will get to University. Katie and Joe will be home some and my mom is also flying in. Other things to look forward to this summer is schedule that I am in charge of (yeah) visits from favorite god-daughter and godson, a family vacation in Canada (really looking forward to that one) packing Elliot up for University (not looking forward to that one, bring on the kleenex) and just chillin with my lovely hubby as we transition into another time of our lifes.

Yep, life is good, friends are precious and memories are special

April Showers Spring Flowers

So far April has been a pretty cool and groovy month. The weather got dramatically better, a welcome after the long hard winter. Easter was a beautiful weekend, we had good friends over for Sunday lunch and it was a lovely Easter, one of the best I could remember.

So, both Katie and Joe were going to come home the following weekend but Joe decided he really needed to climb a mountain, not going to argue with that, he is like a dog that needs to be walked every day!! However, Thursday lunchtime I get a call from Joe saying he is literally dying of the stomach flu. So, what did I do, put on my supermom cape. Ran straight to the airport, flew to NH, got to Joe, fever, dehydrated, not doing well. Poured him and every single piece of dirty laundry I could into his car and drove him home. We got home around midnight. It turned out it was what we all needed. Joe really needed to be home, we all loved having some Katie and Joe time, and everyone got their laundry done......mission accomplished.

Crowning moment was having Sunday lunch with both boys before (restored) Joe drove back up to NH. That was enough to keep me going for my birthday and Mothers Day all in one. Unfortunately Katie was home to attend her grandfathers funeral but she seemed to get in some decent social time with all her friends too. It is just wonderful to see all the kids doing well, they really are hysterically funny when we are all together. Roll on the summer when hopefully we shall see more of them.

Weather is finally getting sunny thank goodness and as I blog I am preparing to go off to the park to work out with the ladies, it really is inspiring and uplifting to work out amongst the blossom and the trees. Puts me in the mood to plant!

The Pipes Area A Calling

So, today we drove up to the Poconos to watch a St Patricks Day Parade. What drew me to this parade were the pipe bands, apparently 14 pipe bands were going to perform. My mother as a Scot has always had an affinity for the pipes and this I inherited from her. Somewhere, deep inside when I hear that familiar sound it sets up an aroma of memory, a deep knowledge of where I come from, it is comforting, extremely emotional and a cathartic experience. So, a patients family at clinic whom I have become close with really wanted me to come as often we have shared our Celtic heritage. The dad of this family is in a pipe band and the mother is Irish through and through. How could I say no. The parade was on Sunday March 14th. On Friday it rained cats and dogs, on Saturday it rained worse, we lost power for 12 hours. Sunday morning it looked even worse, hang it I thought, I'm going anyways, so glad I did. The funny thing was all those pipe bands and did not hear one Irish jig, lots of Scottish ones that I recognized thou, Bluebells of Scotland, You take the High Road, Scotland the Brave and more.

Yes it was grey and drizzly but just as the parade started the heavens dried up. I was not disappointed, it was truly a heavenly experience for me, one I will remember for a long time

Also, spent a gorgeous weekend with Joe and Katie last weekend, they are both doing so well, used to go to a playpark with my son, now we go to a bar and have a good chinwag.....times are a changing. Katie and I had a lovely sweet time together doing what mothers and daughters do best.....shopping. It really really was worth the 24 hours visit just to physically hug and kiss them and tell them I love them sooooo much. Now both have gone on Spring Break, Joe to Oregon to go back country snowboarding (hope he lives) and Katie to the mountains in New Hampshire to do more snow boarding.

A happy week, a very very happy week.

Therapy In The Middle Of Winter

So I love winter, my favorite season is the Fall but its very closely followed by winter. However, even I have had enough this season, I mean snow snow snow enough already!! So when I had the opportunity to go to Florida for a long weekend with some girlfriends, I jumped at the chance. A few days in the sunshine can be as rejuvenating as a 2 week vacation. We went to a well kept Floridian secret called Anna Marie Island, no fast food or tall buildings allowed on the island, miles and miles of golden beaches. It was wonderful. Just lovely to have no agenda, chatting with girlfriends about deep deep issues and superficial ones too. It was wonderful, but all good things must come to an end, finally came home to.......guess what.....more snow. I could not believe we got another winter storm. Lets hope we are done now.

This weekend I am going to see Joe and Katie, have not seen them since January and everyone is busy at spring break so no-one is coming home (grrrrrr) so I just need to go and get my Joe and Katie fix.

Also, really enjoying getting back out there and running and working out in the park, its soooo good to be outdoors, even if it is cold, no particular mission, no event I am training for just enjoying feeling better as my fitness level raises, even though I hate exercise (and I really really do hate working out) I have realized that for my mood and sense of well being this is just a really good thing for me to do.

In the spirit of a great book I am finishing up right now, The Happiness Project, which I recommend to everyone, especially for those of us that have become so busy with work and just stuff that we have forgotten how to feed our soul!

Things That Have Made Me Happy Since My Last Blog

• A weekend in the sunshine


• A good cry/laugh with girlfriends


• Drinking chardonnay at lunchtime followed by a 2 hour nap!


• Coming home, it always feels good to come home


• A day off in the middle of the week


• Cold pizza for breakfast....the best!


• An impending visit to see Joe and Katie and anticipating the sweet time I will have with them

Snow Days

I love snow days, I love the anticipation of an impending huge storm. You can smell the snow in the air, everyone is on heightened awareness and rushes to the grocery store to get milk, eggs and bread for the next 10 days as if we will be under siege. I did all this in preparation. The snow was not supposed to start until around 7pm, I was hoping Colin would make it back from his trip to the Midwest. I would go to work for the day make it home before the snow and bunker down with a good book, bottle of wine and roaring fire.....yes, well that was magical thinking! Early hours of the snow day I was awoken by stomach flu, now I know this was probably given to me at a Superbowl Party by the sweetest little 5 year old I know, bless, it must have been really contagious because nearly everyone at the party got it. However, as the day wore on it was obvious this was a particular nasty bug and I was going downhill fast. Will spare you the gory details, just to say after a trip to the ER (Elliot was brilliant and my friend Kathy was wonderful) a liter of fluid IV, I was a new woman. Colin made it home just in time to walk into the ER to find the doc saying I was going to be admitted, I said forget it and promptly signed myself out...yep nurses are the worst patients.

So, I weathered out most of the blizzard in my bed recovering and focusing on drinking clear fluids. But now 5 days and 45 inches of snow later we are all digging out. I say thank goodness for our days in Wisconsin and our personal philosophy never to be without a snow blower, it has saved us over and over this Winter.

Things That Made Me Smile This Week

• The thought of being snowed in for several days with all I need and just stop the world for a little while.


• Being able to sweet talk myself out of a hospital admission


• Baby wipes and super soft toilet paper


• Endless cups of tea from Colin and Elliot


• Elliot giving me his "magic blanket" to make me feel better


• Elliot building a huge snowman in the front yard complete with nipples, navel and a penis.....enough said!

After Christmas and Beyond!

Gosh, Christmas seems like a long time ago. Now in the middle of January and it is cold, cold, cold. But back to Christmas. We had a lovely quiet time, it was really nice, no great rushing around, everyone was very content to stay at home in their PJ's it was lovely. New Years week Joe, Katie and Elliot decided to go to New Hampshire to snow board and see the New Years in there. So, there we are empty nesters, not quite sure what to do with ourselves, realizing this is our future!! We took advantage of no kids at home, ate out, went to the movies, had some great friends over for New Years Eve, good dinner, Paul brought his Wii and after a couple of glasses of wine that is really a hysterical game, we even had a couple of people sleep over ....who says we cant have a life.

The next week we had our traditional Twelth Night Party. We actually have not had this for a few years because we have been too busy to have friends (!) But 2010 is about getting some of that balance back, another wonderful night of celebrating the advent and sharing some very meaningful stories with each other.

What have I got to look forward to in 2010, well alot of it revolves around Elliot, making sure he graduates in one piece, organizing and putting on a grad party, trying not to howl too much at his Grad Ceremony. Getting him packed up and sent off to school. Also, supporting Joe and Kate as they continue their University careers, they are doing so well, dont see them enough but they have the right to have a life and I am thrilled they are managing to balance academics with climbing mountains and snowboarding etc.

Also, this is the year I am going to get my fitness level back ( and maybe the dog will too!) Just this week I started working out with a trainer I used a couple of years ago, and even though it was painful and I wanted to fall over after running a mile ( how pathetic) it did feel really good to be back in training and it will become a weekly thing.

Not going to have any greater expectations than that, the last few years I have had some pretty huge projects going, training for the 3 day 60 mile walk, completing grad school, being a part of a medical team in refugee camps. This year is about being chill and smelling the roses. I will let you know how it goes!!