So schreepy

Before I put myself to bed, I have to say that I partied like a rockstar with my buddy ToddieP, who came out from Nashville to see all his lady friends in Denver, and now I am paying the price.  I don't know how the hipsters do it.  Friday night we closed Sancho's, Saturday night we watched D&C until 3 am, and Sunday we watched Flight of the Conchords till 2 am.  Phew!!  Todd definitely has some magic spell that keeps him going...

 

Friday night we went to see opening night of Naked Coffee, a sketch comedy group Mary and Erik are both in.  It was great to laugh and laugh.  They were both really excellent.  Erik started with an info-mercial for "chafe away, a product necessary on those days you decide to go walk 13 miles", and I laughed remember the half-marathon we did a year ago.  Could have come in handy!  They did skits and videos and improv games.  It is still running for two more weekends if you live in the area. 

 

Anywho...work has been pretty intense as we gear up for growing season, but more importantly, get all the plants in the ground, so we have something to take care of all season.  Three more events this week, and then we switch into a more regular schedule.  This is really important because two weeks from today, I will be on pain killers and crutches.  Who knew after almost four years since that darn bike accident that the doctors would finally figure out why I am still having pain??  Dr. Raj Bazaz is my new hero for ordering the right MRI and finding the tear in my right labrum (look it up on goodsearch.com).  I go in for surgery on the 10th to have it "cleaned up" and hope to be on crutches for just a week and then take it easy for another week.  Offer up a prayer if you remember, but before then you can offer up a prayer for Ahna and Oren, who are due for their first baby on Friday.  We are all so excited and waiting patiently for the call that announces she's begun birthing.  And on that note, sweet dreams! 

pictures from portland

I am lousy at uploading photos, so I will try harder...

Grandma and Miki (now 29)

- funny how she's caught up to me and is now getting older than me "/

Auggie, Jean, Abba, me, Mom, Miki, Marty, Nick

Mia - to be 4 this summer

Monica - to be 2 this summer

me'n'Maddie - to be 6 this summer - my special goddaughter

Not a secret anymore...

I guess it was less a secret than a surprise! I flew to Portland Saturday morning and surprised Miki for her birthday. Her boyfriend Marty was in on it, and I walked in to church on Saturday night and snuck in next to her. She just laughed...incidentally she asked me the weekend before if I was going to come home and surprise her for her birthday. I'm not a terrific liar, but I fumbled over a comment about needing to start biking right away if I was going to get there in time. She claimed Saturday night that she actually didn't think I would, just said it because she remembered the time I surprised Abba for his birthday. Saturday: breakfast with Nick (who just lost his tonsils) and Dad, lunch and grocery shopping with Mom, a nap, a couple hours with Grandma, church, dinner and wine tasting and pictionary with Miki & Marty & Lana & Jenny, plus a sleepover Sunday: breakfast and a walk, picked up Erin from the train & walked to Saturday Market - Blossoming Lotus - Powell's Books - Waterfront Park, prepared for party and then partied with Miki and family Monday: LONG walk with Erin, harvested Grandma's rhubarb, lunch at Lucky Lab brewery, an hour of play with Amy & her girls, took Erin back to train station, sushi with Abba & Auggie & Miki & Marty, packing Tuesday: took Nick to pick up his motorcycle and paycheck, visited with Grandma, took Ave & Sophie out to lunch, had a tea party with Amy and the girls...left town! I really didn't need to go into all the detail, but I wasted no time on this short trip to Portland. I missed visiting with a lot of people, as my last two trips were three weeks long and afforded a lot of time for visiting (& sleeping). I came back and got a sore throat and a cough. Yuck! But I did bring sunshine to Portland from Denver, and rain from Portland to Denver - very good weather for both. Now back to apartment and car hunting...

at peace??

you know...i feel like not much can surprise me anymore. When things change in life, one expects things to go good and bad. On the one hand, we loathe the bad news, but it generally makes the good news that much better. These are the random thoughts that pass through my heart and head as I cope with a little "backlash" from decisions I've made. It just goes to show we need balance in our lives. So the story goes that I am a night owl. I am a great procrastinator, and while I know I need to go to bed, it is easy to keep finding reasons to stay up. I am a notoriously great dreamer, so I have nothing to fear in sleep. Yet all the same, I find excuses to closing my eyes. I remember from early days at the Double-D how my siblings and I would reassure our parents with obnoxiously wide-eyes that we were not tired yet. The fireplace surrounded by aunts and uncles and their friends always looked more fun than our sleeping bags laid out in rows on the carpet squares on the loft of the A-frame. "FOMO", a friend called it: Fear Of Missing Out. So why can't I just put my head to pillow and let tomorrow morning come? What could I possibly miss out on at this hour in this quiet house? Or maybe it is just my attempt to pause the changes that keep coming at me...When I quit my job to spend time with family and with strangers on the road, I didn't realize that the cyclone of change would sweep me up even as I tried to re-orient and settle. The Columbine House is dismantling...terribly sad, I know. I have lived here two months shy of six years. Wow!! A long time, indeed! It is hard to imagine going off on my own or with another friend, but the time is not far off. Gratefully, much of my decor is still packed from my trip south of the equator. If anyone knows of a plant-friendly home not far from here, give a holler... The time has come that I cannot procrastinate from yawning...g'night...