Going through changes...

Just life changes - not menopause!!!

July was a rough month.  In part I have been struggling with some things at work, and I finally felt compelled to do something about it.  So I half-quit.  I had two jobs and gave up one.  So I am still working half-time at the church and enjoying it, but I also am half time working on the house and trailer and other projects to come.  Eventually I will get my substitute teaching application in for the schools, though I am not ready to start subbing yet.  It is a big change and means I am home two full days in the middle of the week - working on the house.

But first - we started the month of August in Portland for my 20th high school reunion.  Lots of fun - no pictures - but good times!  We also spent a good amount of time with the nephews and niece, though I failed to come home with lots of pictures.

This gem is Isaac - and he has grown up so much, right into a giggler!  I really enjoyed all the smiles and laughing, not so much soaking my shorts in baby spit-up.  

Tom and I ate some delicious seafood and hopped through a couple brewpubs.  He went to the Flugtag event with Marty, and I picked blackberries with my sister.  We got to see the Dieringer kiddos, too.  Just lots of go-go-go-go fun - the norm for our trips to see my family!

Then Tom was out of town for a week, and right off the bat, I had an opportunity to see a bunch of my "oldest" friends in Denver.  The plan for working less and two less days of driving was not to trade it in for trips to Denver every week, but it was a pretty wonderful opportunity, and I was home alone anyway.

Anna Belle and I got to have lunch (and coffee)

 Dee took a picture of Dorothy, Rudy, Betty, Fred, Nancy, David, and I on the occasion of Rudy's birthday.  And then I got a little extra hang out time with Betty, since I stayed at her place.

It was sure a treat to see everyone.  And by fluke of great timing for a text, I got to see my friend Deb as I drove out of Denver to get back to finish up my last few hours of work for the week.

I'm not sure if it's really settling into a pattern yet, but I got lots of texturing and painting in the house done, and the trailer is getting boxed up for the move into the basement when it is finished!

July 2015

July was one heck of a month!  It has been two months since I posted, and July is to blame. 

The weekend before July began, we had a flood - in the Cimarron Canyon, not at home.  But while Tom and I were working on the house, he got called away to serve as incident commander in the canyon - where the highway department was liberating the highway from the river bed and from the canyon walls - lots of water, lots of big rocks, and lots of mud.  Andres and I took a firetruck out and helped for about eight hours.  We got to see a bear, but I wasn't fast enough to catch a picture.

I worked with some kids on a float for the church, which was lots of fun.  Thomas rode the firetruck with the ladies and gent below.  And we ended the evening with some fun, food, and fireworks with the family!  Unfortunately, I woke up Sunday feverish and achy and was bedridden for a few days.

The following weekend I had already arranged for someone else to do music, so we could getaway!  We went to Albuquerque Friday evening and had a nice dinner out.  Saturday we went to the Museum of Nuclear Science - very neat!  Sunday we went to the Botanic Gardens - very cool (actually - it got a little warm), the butterfly pavilion, and the "aquarium" which was included with the admission.  We did hit Costco and pick out our basement floor colors at Home Depot, but it was all about good food and time together.

 These two turkeys were both griping at me.  

Even though Tom was the one in little Tom's face, I was the one causing him to bristle!

 The aquarium was pretty little, but it looks like they hope to expand.  

They do have an awesome tank of jellyfish - my favorite to watch!

The trip to Albuquerque was also a celebration of seven years together.  It was fun remembering that fateful evening we met on the porch.  The following week I prepped and prepped to get the basement cleared out; Friday we had everything moved out and cleaned up.  Saturday morning we taped up a barrier on the wood walls and stained away!  The concrete floor looks amazing, but before it had chance to dry, we broke away back down to Albuquerque and bought two couches.  Two in the afternoon and Tom says, "You really liked that couch, and the only reason we didn't get it was because we were in the car, right?"  So we hit the road and made it to Costco right before closing and made it back around midnight.

The next week was hectic for me at work, as the audit I had been preparing for finally arrived.  It was mostly painless, and we're in good shape.  That was great news.  And then the last weekend brought water day...the annual work day, lunch, and meeting.  Back at the tank, Tom wouldn't let anyone else in to clean, but I kept busy swatting bugs away.

Sunday we got together to celebrate Pop's and my birthdays.  It was a great way to wind down a busy month.