Someone's In The Kitchen

It was a lovely, relaxing Sunday.  One where I was able to try out a new recipe I'd been dying to try.  A couple of years ago L and I were celebrating our anniversary with a weekend in Pasadena.  We ate brunch at a darling cottage-turned-restaurant that served the most amazing Eggs Benedict I've ever had.  Instead of an English muffin, the base was a crab cake.  I smacked my lips over it, went home, and kind of forgot about them.  Until the other day when I saw a very similar recipe on the Williams Sonoma blog.  That beautiful weekend with all of it's anniversary memories came spilling back into my mind, and I couldn't wait to try that recipe for myself.

It seemed simple enough: crabmeat, onions, Tabasco, mayonnaise, Panko bread crumbs.  Saute some spinach in butter.  Poach eggs.   And really, it wasn't difficult at all.  The crab cakes were stirred up, formed into patties, coated in Panko crumbs and refrigerated for an hour or so. 

That left the spinach, poaching the eggs, and actually pan frying the crab cakes.  There's also Hollandaise sauce (food of the gods, I'm convinced), but I cheated a bit there, because Trader Joe's had a little container of ready made.  Couldn't be any easier than that!  And so, as the dinner hour approached, I first sauteed the spinach in butter until it wilted, then while I kept it warm, I simultaneously pan fried crab cakes, slipped eggs into the poaching water, flipped the crab cakes over to sear the other side, and slipped the poached eggs out of the poaching water and into a bowl of hot water to keep warm.  I'd never poached eggs before, and mine definitely weren't as pretty as the picture of the recipe, but they were easy enough.  Very interesting process, poaching eggs.  And practice makes perfect, right?

While I did all of that, L made us a little antipasto plate: sliced pinot grigio summer sausage, tomato slices, slices of fresh mozzarella.  So fresh and good!


To arrange, there was a base of two crab cakes, topped with some sauteed spinach, warm and buttery.  Topping that were two poached eggs, with a spoonful of warm Hollandaise sauce poured over all.  A simple summer dinner.  Calorie rich?  Oh my, yes.  But we made lunch and dinner one meal by eating at 4:00 or so.  That way we were able to combine our alotted calories from two meals into one.  I say diets need not be grim and boring.  Every once in a while, it's good to make yourself something rich and delicious.  You just have to plan ahead, and while I certainly can't do it every day, special occasions are allowed.  And for today, for a special little supper, it was perfect.  If you'd like to make it yourself, the recipe can be found here

So far I've lost a little over 11 pounds, and I'm still going.  I'm down a whole size in clothes!  I'm starting to like what I see in the mirror.  I'm encouraged, and happy about how much stronger I feel.

To add even more happiness, I discovered a nifty little sweet treat the other day and actually made it yesterday.  When you crave something sweet and dessert-y, like apple pie, make a smaller version of it.  Instead of a slice, it's just a bite.  And after dieting for awhile, a bite is oftentimes all you need.  I took an apple, peeled it, and cut it into 8 slices.  I bought a can of Buttermilk biscuits - you know, like the Pillsbury kind in a can.  (Or, if you're really a purist, I guess you could make your own!  I'm too lazy...)  Roll each biscuit out a little bit so it's a bit flatter and large enough for the apple slice.  (You can also roll the apple up in a Pillbury crescent roll if you want)  Place the apple slice in the middle of the dough, sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar, and a dot of butter.  Pinch the edges together and place it on a baking sheet.  At this point, you could brush  some melted butter or a beaten egg over it and sprinkle it with more sugar to make it pretty.  I didn't, and it was just fine, but it really would be prettier if you did.  Anyway, then you bake them for 15 minutes or so (refer to the instructions on whatever kind of dough you're using).  When they're baked, you have a little "bite" of apple pie.  Only instead of 300-400 calories, it's just 185.  And so, so good and completely satisfying to that old sweet tooth.  You could use all kinds of different fruit - I'm thinking berries would be wonderful!  Or peaches...

And so on this Sunday evening, I'm trying to savor the last little bit of free time.  Next week is going to be stressful, to say the least.  I will be doing my work, and also some new tasks I've had to take on for a coworker while she takes her corporate-mandated 60 day break.  I had to have a crash course Wednesday-Friday to learn everything, and I've been dreaming about it every night.  You know how that is...  I'm terrified I won't remember how to do everything.  As if that weren't enough, there are also other new tasks I'd already agreed to take on, and those are going to start rolling in as well.  The up-side is that I will see an increase in hours, no doubt about it.  I'm sure I'll be ready for my own 60 days off starting in July, but for now, money cures a lot of discomfort, doesn't it?  The rest are cured (at least for me) by spending some time in the kitchen and whipping up good things to eat.  Good things I don't have to feel bad about eating. These little treats were a win/win.

I hope you all have a good week.  For myself, I hope I'll be able to come up for air at some point, and that all of my worrying will be for naught.  We'll see.  Let me know if any of you try making any of these things.  You will want to high five me because they're so, so easy, and so good.

I even found arm fulls of my very favorite flowers at Trader Joe's this weekend: Peonies!  So beautiful, so lush, and they have the sweetest smell.  Love...  Yes, it was a good weekend.

Four Eyes For Now

Can you believe that my eye is STILL a problem?  Last Friday I called the optometrist to tell him it wasn't feeling any better - in fact, it was a little worse.  He had me come in then, instead of waiting for Saturday morning.  He took a look, threw up his hands, and sent me across the street to an ophthalmologist who, luckily, was able to take me on a Friday afternoon.  They put dye into it.  They put numbing drops into it (which felt really good, by the way) and he said "Hmmmm..." a lot.  Apparently, the antibiotic drops I'd been using for the past two days were about the strongest available, and my eyes had, in fact, gotten worse on them.  He prescribed another round of that one, plus two others.  Basically, I was/am using an antibiotic drop of one kind or another around the clock.

It's finally starting to heal.  Today is the first day in a week that I haven't felt like there was sand in my eye.  The first day the right eye hasn't been swollen.  The specialist told me yesterday he'd been afraid last Friday that he was going to have to put me in the hospital for a cornea scraping.  I don't know what that is.  I don't want to know.  Ever.  But he was happy about the improvement.  He did waggle his finger at me and tell me definitely, positively NO CONTACTS and NO MAKEUP.  Sweet.  I think he told me the hospital story so I would mind him.  It worked.

Sadly, I am going down to San Diego (La Jolla) to a medical conference tomorrow.  For 3 days.  Three.Long.Days. without contacts or makeup.  Luckily, it will be just a bunch of cardiologists and nurses who couldn't care less what I look like, or even who I am.  I was really hoping to lose the Coke bottle specs just because I can't see as well with them as I can with contacts, but I'll be good.  It will mostly be me sitting in a large conference room all day with these people, listening to lectures I don't really understand, checking Facebook and email occasionally.  A lunch break.  A dinner with all of my new friends.  Repeat the next two days.  And L to snuggle up with at day's end.

Because L will be sneaking down with me.  He will be able to enjoy the pool and amenities, soak up the lovely San Diego weather, and basically enjoy himself.  All while I'm trapped in a hospital conference room.  But I'm grateful that I don't have to drive myself down there.  My eyesight isn't all that good with glasses - a little too much nearsightedness, combined with astigmatism makes for a combo that's hard to correct, so I don't like driving when I'm not familiar with the area.    And I don't think he minds at all.  He's very self reliant, the weather will be stellar, and he won't have me to hold him back.  San Diego Zoo?  Maybe.  The beach?  Probably.  Pool?  Most definitely.  I'll be jealous, that's for sure.

I had a great Mother's Day.  I heard from every one of the kids, and even one of the spouses, Autumn, sent me a personal text.  It was great.  Katie arranged with L to surprise me with a beautiful lavender orchid.  And L served me breakfast in bed, and made the best dinner for us.  That evening we went over to Mom and Dad's and had dessert with them while we visited away.  It was a treat to see my dad looking so much healthier, with his appetite much improved.  And there's nothing - NOTHING - he loves more that dessert.  He's so thin, no one said a word when he had more.  Made me glad, is what it made me.  His hair is growing back, and his color is better.

Mom seemed happy to have other people to talk to besides Dad.  I think this has been a long, hard haul for her - a different kind of difficult for her, but just as hard on her as on Dad.  I'm hoping to see her freed up a bit over the next few months.  Able to get out and away with her friends.  More out and about with Dad.  Less movies and dinners at home, avoiding germs.  Summer will hopefully be a good time for them.  She hasn't really complained.  She's done her part with patient willingness.  I am honored to be her daughter and learn from her example of grace under pressure.  It's hard to have your world completely rearranged for a year or so, but her complaints were rare and small.  I'm hoping this next year will be a year of feeling better, and maybe bring a little travel that they've been wanting to do.  I know Dad has his heart set on a Panama Canal cruise.

So that's my week in a nutshell.  It's time for more eyedrops and a little bit of shutting them to rest.  (Really - doctor's orders!)  A little wash, a little packing up and preparing for the next few days.  When I see you next, I hope to have fully functioning eyes.  Because I'm getting really tired of dropping $40 every time I have to go to the doctor's to have them checked.

A Sunny Patch

I'm settling back into routine.  I'm not sure if that's a plus or not, but it's comfy.  I mentioned in my last post that I got the eye infection.  It seemed to go away for several days, and then the following week it came back in the OTHER eye.  Just shoot me...  It now seems to be gone again, but I'm afraid to wear makeup or put contacts in.  I finally did put some contacts in, because I have some leftovers in a color I didn't really care for, so if I have to throw them away again, no big deal.  I'm getting low on my favorite ones, but I can't get more because I need to have an eye appointment first.  But I have a lot of things coming up - a business meeting next week followed by possible jury duty. (Just shoot me again.)  At least it's a call-in type, so maybe I'll be lucky and not have to actually go in.  I can't afford the time off to just sit there, and I really can't afford to sit on a jury.  If I don't work, I don't get paid.  The end.  Even if I did get paid, I'm not anxious to sit there with the kinds of people who have no good reason not to sit there all day, and who make comments while deliberating a verdict like "But he looks like such a nice man!" (Said of a child molester who was here illegally.  'Nuff said.)

So back to my original quandary: when to schedule an eye appointment so I can replenish my stock of Sea Green contacts from 1-800-Contacts.  They get a little hinky when they can see you haven't seen an eye doc for a couple of years.  But I also need to make sure this freaking infection is gone, too.  The last thing I need is to have it break out again while I'm down in La Jolla at my business meeting.  Ah, serendipity...

Let's see.  The other excitement around here (yes, my life is a regular ball of fire) is that I got my hair chopped about 6 inches.  I like it.  It's okay.  I think I was picturing something a little bit different, but dang if I know what.  To me, it just looks like a 6 inch shorter version of what I already had.  I think I was picturing something a little more choppy, tousled, more... I don't know.  I'll have to find a picture I guess.  I did show my stylist a picture, but I think I was picturing things that weren't in the picture, like choppy and touseled, and she gave me exactly what the picture looked like.  Not her fault at all.  So now, unless I can come up with a physical image that's like what my head is thinking of, the dilemma will turn into whether to go shorter or to grow it out a little longer.  Like I said, my life is a ball of fire.  Here's what I got:

I love the glow of the monitor.  Zeros out all of those pesky wrinkles and lines.  This is pre-bike ride so it's still nice and neat.

Here it is again after a bike ride.  It's a little bit messier, which I kind of like.  Sort of.  But it's still not exactly what I had in mind, so I have some searching to do, I guess.

 

Because if I go to my stylist again with just a vague idea, and then don't like it, I think she'll throw me out.  I need to step carefully here.

Other good news?  I've reached a 10 pound weight loss!  WOOT!  It was a hard-won battle, my friends.  My body does not let go of pounds easily these days, but I'm winning the fight, slowly but surely.  My old clothes are feeling a little loosey, and things that were too tight (or impossible) before, are beginning to range from comfortable fit, to reasonable.  It's quite exciting.  Like anyone, I still look at myself and think "You're fat."  But I'm also having more days where I can see the difference.  It's far from perfect, or even really good, but I'm seeing PROGRESS.  I've hit a weight that I haven't been at since 2002, and that's REALLY exciting.  Of course, being a MAN, L has lost more weight than me.  He tries not to openly gloat, but it makes me want to spike his Diet Coke with the full bore formula.  But really - he's been so supportive, and so helpful in not sighing heavily when he can't have an evening TV snack that I can't complain.  

Yesterday we both broke ranks and hightailed it down to Balboa Island for a frozen banana dredged in chopped pecans and crumbled Heath Bar pieces.  You know how you have that day where you just can't take it anymore?  No more diet, no more sensible eating.  Well, yesterday was that day.  But what you begin to realize is that no one got fat eating the occasional sweet.  Or even a weekly treat.  They probably didn't lose weight either, but it's the constant, mindless popping this or that into your mouth (and my "this or that" usually involves cheese or something sweet.  Or bread) that kills you.  The nightly TV snack.  So we've stopped that nonsense.  We've been riding our bikes 8 miles/40-45 minutes 5-6 nights a week.  The other nights we try to do something else a little different, like the stationary bike (which also has an elliptical feature) or just some weights or yoga.  We record everything we eat in our My Fitness Pal app, and (I never would have thought it) it's working!!  Anyway, enough about that.  I just needed to toot my own horn for a minute.  Indulge me.

To catch you all up, Dad is off chemotherapy.  The goal was reached, and he's now taking some kind of "maintenance" drug that is hot off of FDA approval.  His copay is $1700/month.  Wow.  I'm not angry or resentful - drug research and development is horrifically expensive and costs need to be recouped.  But I had to wonder how the average patient would be able to afford that.  It's seven long years before a drug's patent is up.  Until then, it's crazy expensive.  His hair is coming back in little peach-fuzzy tufts, and his color is better.  He's able to stand up straighter now that he's not so exhausted.  Good to see.

My aunt is doing a little better.  She took another tumble which finally FINALLY convinced her that she needs to do something about her muscle strength.  Which means she needs to eat 3 meals a day and do some kind of meaningful exercise - not just walk around her small room.  My sister in law is over there teaching her how to access the internet (I have mixed emotions about my aunt turned loose on the Internet...) and tomorrow I am taking her shoe shopping.  Baby steps.  But steps forward all the same.

The kids and grandkids are all doing well.  And yes, that makes me nervous, checking over my shoulder for the next drama to hit.  It's a shame that happiness also makes you a little nervous, isn't it? But only when I stop and think about it.  Otherwise, I'm like a pig in slop.  Blissfully unaware of the next Bad Thing.  No point thinking too hard about it, because no matter what you prepare yourself for, it will for sure be something you would never have dreamed up.  So I try to enjoy this happy patch, take pride in accomplishments, enjoy being with the Mister every night, live for the next grandchild sighting.  Try to keep my spiritual armor strong and polished, and shiny, as that's always the best defense for events that are unpredictable and way beyond my control.  Some days it feels like a mirror in the sun, other days not so much.  But I notice that my hearing has improved from listening for answers to prayers.  I am not so shy about taking needed action.  I am able to find my voice when one is needed.   I've come to realize that I am never alone.  Never.  All things that don't come easily to me.  But with valued family and friends behind me and beside me, I'm getting better as I go along - learning and growing.  And that's the whole point of being here.

Lobster Rolls and Eye Crud

Back from Bean Town.  Actually, the only time I was really IN Boston was landing at Logan Airport, and being dropped off again after a week.  The rest of the time we were far away from the chasing of bombers and police activity - either in Worcester or various places in Cape Cod.  The weather for the most part (and why we always cite the weather, I don't know) was glorious and beautiful.  I was grateful for that, because I dislike being cold.

Katie came and picked me up with Mia and Hayden sitting in the back of the Dodge Caravan in their car seats.  So good to see their little faces!  So excited and happy.  It was way past their bedtime, so after the initial flurry of getting me in the car, Hayden was out like a light.  Katie and I tried to visit and catch up, but apparently I was also supposed to be the navigator, and we kept making wrong turns or getting in the wrong toll road line so I had to pay attention to the GPS and guide us safely back to Worcester.  Of course, once we got there the little girls went to bed and I tried to unpack the essentials and settle in.  I couldn't get to sleep for the life of me.  The Massachusetts clock was 3 hours ahead of me, and the more I thought about how I needed to sleep, the more I couldn't.  I think I ended up getting about 4 hours.  Not a good start, but surprisingly (luckily), it didn't seem to affect me very much.

Wednesday dawned early - Mia and Hayden are up with the birds! - but they were very good to tiptoe out of the room and let me sleep.  But of course I couldn't, knowing the girls were downstairs and the week was ahead of me.  We had to grocery shop, getting some essentials and also some ingredients we needed for our tea party that afternoon.  Katie had made some white cake cupcakes (my favorite!) and while Katie was resting, the girls and I made our Sand Dollar Cookies.  We had planned to have an "Under the Sea" tea party.

When all was prepared, Katie put the final touches on our strawberry lemonade, and we all got ready for "tea."  Hayden was totally into it, donning her jewels, sundress, and a big floppy hat.  And her baby.  Mia didn't want to dress up.  She is not into frilly or ruffly these days, and insisted on wearing her parka and jeans.  Whatever.  Katie was brave, carrying out stemmed glassware and plates into the front yard area for our crazy little tea.  Now, I could tell the sweet image she had in her head of how all of this was going to look.  But I also have the years to know that kids - especially your own - hardly ever follow the plan.  They rarely even read the book in the first place.  So Mia was in jeans with holes in the knees, Hayden had crazy hair going on under the hat, and one of the glasses got knocked over and broken.  It just wasn't the beautiful picture we'd envisioned - you know, beautifully dressed up girls with curled hair, flowers woven through it, perfect manners, the usual nonsense.  Mia rode her scooter around, wouldn't sit down, and would instead swoop in for a treat before riding off.  Poor Katie was so frustrated!  But these are real little girls, not images from a styled photo shoot, and we had ourselves a good time anyway.  Until the glass broke.  Ah... that also happens in real life. So instead of something out of a fairy tale, here is our motley crew:

Oh, and did I mention the pink eye?  Yes, Hayden came down with it the first day I was there.  Such fun trying to get a 3 year old to hold still when you put stinging drops in her eyes.  She cleared up pretty fast, though.  We thought we were home free.  Silly us...

On Thursday morning we headed out for Cape Cod for a couple of days with the girls.  We had no idea where we were going, trusting our fate to the GPS.  Sadly, though, the hotel was located on what we thought said Lyanough Rd.  It wouldn't come up on the GPS, but we bravely set out, hoping there would be bread crumbs or something to show us the way.  As we neared the area, we turned off and asked a couple of locals in a parking lot if they knew where Lynough Rd was.  They didn't.  I called the hotel and told them basically where we were and they gave me some simple directions.  That was when Katie got into the car after conferring with the locals.  She was shaking with laughter.  Turns out we should have been looking for Iyanough Rd all along.  We read the upper case"I" as a lower case "l" - no idea why, but we did.  We are map impaired, and as it turns out, we are GPS impaired as well, if we can't read a simple address.  Oh well - we got there, didn't we?  After we stopped laughing, anyway.

The hotel had (drum roll please...) an indoor SWIMMING POOL!  And that's all the girls wanted to do.  So we donned our suits and trekked down to the pool where they swam for what seemed like hours.  It all started coming back to me how hard it is to get kids out of a pool.  Mia is a little fish, and Hayden is right behind her.  And Katie is the original water baby.

While we were at the pool we got a recommendation for dinner: Captain Parker's Pub.  At first people were recommending places like Olive Garden.  Really?!?  I can eat there any time.  We wanted Cape Cod food.  A man who was another guest told us about Captain Parker's - said they'd won prizes so many years for their clam chowder that they weren't allowed to compete anymore.  So off we went.

We weren't disappointed.  Not in the chowder anyway.  The service was another matter - terrible waitress.  By the time we got our food (other than the chowder) the girls were starting to fall apart.  I had them box up everything and we took everything back to the hotel.  It was a little bit disappointing but all in all we had a great time.  While we'd been waiting for our table, there was a group of four men eating in the bar next to where we were waiting.  Hayden spilled Katie's purse over and a bunch of Skittles spilled on the floor.  One of the men looked at Hayden and said "There's a red one - if you don't eat it, I will!"  Hayden didn't know what to think about that, so the man grabbed the red Skittle off  the floor and popped it into his mouth.  He looked at Katie and said "You need to teach her about the 5 second rule.  I never pass up a red Skittle!"  We laughed and got to talking to them, and they gave us some suggestions for things to do the next day.  I love being on vacation when you meet friendly locals.  It really was fun talking to them as it was obvious they'd been friends for a long time, and all had grandchildren of their own.

Back to the hotel after dinner for a good night's sleep and the rest of our dinner!  The next morning we got up and, taking our new friends' suggestion, took the girls to the Zooquarium, located right behind Captain Parker's Pub.  They had a petting zoo, a bird show, a small aquarium with local fish and sea life, and PONY RIDES!  It was a hit.  The girls bought handfuls of corn to feed the deer, sheep, and llamas.  When that was gone, Mia got industrious and ran around picking up all of the corn that had been spilled on the ground.

They both wanted to ride the pony, so each one took a turn, and had big smiles the whole time.

The girls had the chance to see a peacock looking normal, with his tail dragging behind him.  All of a sudden his lady friend appeared, and quick as a wink, his tail was unfolded in all it's glory.  Mia and Hayden were quite impressed with that quick trick.  What men won't do to show off...

It started to rain, and so we grabbed the girls and got them in the car.  Time for lunch!  Katie's friend had told her about a place called Brax Landing that had good food, so off we went in search.  As it turns out, it was an excellent tip: Katie and I shared a lobster roll and lobster mac 'n cheese.  It was AMAZING, and I want more.  Immediately.  Our waitress was the best.  Totally catered to the girls, brought us all food we loved, and had the thickest New England accent you can imagine.

She was so perfect, it just made my whole day.  The restaurant had a whole wall of windows that looked out over a little harbor where everyone kept their boats, and it was such a pretty scene.  I would go back there in a second.  After lunch, we just drove around and did a little exploring.  We found a wonderful place with benches above a little beach with the water just a few feet away.  Had it not been raining I could have sat there and watched the girls play for quite awhile.  Such a quiet spot, with a quaint little neighborhood of cottages just behind.  Did I mention I love Cape Cod?

On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a little shop that sold sea glass jewelry.  Katie bought a ring (she loves rings) and I got a bracelet with a pretty piece of blue sea glass set on it.  A nice memento of our little New England jaunt.  I suggested we stop and get some salt water taffy at a place we'd seen on the way in, so we did that also.  Sadly, as we backed out of the parking space, Katie hit a post that was painted white with red stripes that was protecting a small brick retaining wall.  We just didn't realize it was there, but the bumper got a 3-4 inch scratch where the paint came off.  Ouch...  Nothing like putting a damper on a great day.... We pulled into a body shop we passed and Katie jumped out to have them look at it to assess the damage.  She likes her ducks in a row before calling the Mister.  A very nice man came out with a rubbing compound and got the red paint off the bumper.  He guessed about $380 in cost to fix, OR - we could buy a can of spray paint to match and just patch it.  I don't know which one they'll end up doing, but it was nice to have the option.  And luckily, Zach wasn't too upset about it.  The sun came out after that.

The rest of the time spent there was nothing really notable.  We all went out to eat at a local Thai place (that advertised that they had "lobstah!"), we went to church on Sunday, I made them one of my special recipes for dinner one night.  I played at least a hundred games of Disney Princess Memory, we built things with Legos, we spent lots of time playing unicorns and My Little Pony.  I had one heart to heart talk with Mia, in which she confided that she wanted to take her OWN shower, instead of a nightly bath with Hayden.  She's growing up... Very everyday things, and yet they are the memories that are etched in my heart.  Hearing Hayden whisper "YESSSSS!" whenever she got a match, and Mia saying "It's weird, but I usually win at Memory..."  (Except when Hayden wins!)  I tended to zone out.  One Princess began to look like another.  I was having too much fun having 2 girls enjoy spending time with me.

Mia got the eye crud on Sunday night.  Awful stuff.  More hand washing.  Katie came down with it Monday night and it was really bad when she had to take me to the airport on Tuesday.  We picked Mia up early from school and set off for Boston.  Several tolls later, we were finally there.  It was hard to leave my girl when I knew she didn't feel good.

I sadly trudged into the airport terminal.  Where I sat for the next 4 hours because my plane broke.  Jet Blue finally found us another plane and we took off at last.  But our arrival time was pushed back from 7:30 to after 11pm.  Brutal...

And so now I'm home.  And I almost dodged the eye crud.  Until yesterday when my left eye started to crud up and swell.  UGH... One call to my brother in law (thank you Dr. Rick!) and a day later, it's finally starting to look normal.  I'm hoping to be able to wear my contact lenses tomorrow.  It was a crazy week that was full of activity.  Some of it was nothing special, some of it was constant on the go running around.  But all of it was memory making at it's finest.  Lots of cuddles, silliness, and I love yous.  And everyone knows those are some of the best things in life.

A Plane to Boston

Tomorrow morning I get on a Boston-bound plane.  I'm so excited to see my daughter and Mia and Hayden.  And Zach.  It's just that I don't suppose I'll see much of Zach as he spends most of his time at the hospital, but it'll be good to see him here and there.
I have a niece on my husband's side of the family who was running in the Boston Marathon today.  Luckily, Kaylene is a good runner, and was already finished and done when the blasts occurred.  But I didn't know that, and I was frantic.  I left a very sobby message on her cell phone to call me.  IMMEDIATELY.  Then I remembered she was running and probably wouldn't/couldn't call me.  Tried to call her mom (my husband's sister) but I don't have her cell number so I had L call her.  Long story short, she is fine.  Her husband is fine.  All is well with them.  They were in the Medical Tent when the the explosions went off.  They were immediately directed out of the tent to make room for the injured.  They are on their way out of the city now, going to their friends' house, but it was hard to get anywhere for a while as the city pretty much shut down right around them.  What a horrific experience.  For all of us.  I don't know what's worse - being in the middle of the fray, or being far away and not knowing what's going on.  I guess what's worse is being one of the casualties or injured persons.  It was horrific, and still, I can't tear myself away from the TV.  (Yes, it's on while I write this.)

While I'm very excited to go on my trip tomorrow, it's put a damper on the travel portion of it.  I'm sure any airport is going to be a mess with heightened security (and rightfully so).  I can't even imagine what Boston will be like.  I'm glad that it will be a whole week before I have to fly out of it again.  And there's just the general nervousness that accompanies any flight.    Only this time it will be really amped up - for me, anyway.  I'm not normally afraid to fly, but the events today just sent chills up my spine.  For those of you who are Facebook friends, I'll send a thankful thumbs up when we safely land.

I don't understand this kind of terrorist message.  Or the messengers.  It's just pure evil.  The small silver lining is that tragedies like this bring out the best in people.  I saw runners whipping off their t-shirts to help wrap wounds.  I saw brave firemen and policemen putting themselves in danger to save others.  Medical personnel standing their ground in the midst of pure chaos.  Onlookers at the marathon were doing whatever they could to help people up and get them out of danger.  Native Bostonians opening their homes to runners and their families who are stranded and can't get home or to their hotels.  People are inherently good, especially in the face of evil.  While we hate to come face to face with evil, it does get our attention, but it makes us stronger - just that simple choice of good over evil.  Kindness over apathy.  More determined - angry that it happened yet again, and determined to shore up our vigilance.  More aware that kindness and generosity of spirit can heal.

Heaven help us.  A lot more prayer and spiritual thought would not be a bad thing.  Standing firm and not allowing ourselves to become jaded and complacent would be even better.  Being strong pillars and leaders in our communities would be best.  Because we're going to need great courage to stand up and fight back against evil like this.  More backbone.  Less political correctness and stupid nonsense.  If you suppose we can think good thoughts and sit in front of our TVs, hoping for the best to get a good outcome, think again.  We need to wake up and realize the wolf is at the door.

I'll get on that plane tomorrow, and I'll have a great week with my girlies.  Cape Cod, lobster dinner, tea parties, all of it.  I'll come back home in a week with tons of new memories and pictures to show.  But damn whoever was responsible for the chaos and tragedy today, for making me just a little bit nervous to get on the plane.  For marring my anticipated reunion with these two darling girls with a terrorist act.

Dance Recital - Mia was a clown, Hayden a tightrope walker.

Happy Anniversary Marilyn & Ted!

The 60th anniversary party for the folks was beautiful.  It couldn't have gone any better, and my mom and dad thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.  L and I picked them up to take them over to Big Canyon, and they were running a little bit late.  Poor Dad - the chemotherapy has done such a number on him that his clothes don't fit very well anymore and he was having a hard time getting an outfit together.  But he looked so handsome in his gray jacket and shirt and tie!  I know he doesn't feel like himself, but he looked every bit the co-guest of honor.  Mom looked beautiful, as usual, a little nervous, and we bundled them into the car, and off we went for our evening of fun.

Now, if you're lucky enough to belong to the Big Canyon Country Club (I am not) maybe you get used to living in the lap of luxury.  But for me, it was such an enormous treat to be able to have our parents' party there.  My middle brother and his wife are members, and so we all got lucky with the location of the party.  Dinner was beautiful, delicious, and wonderful.  The staff is so attentive, and I've not had a better dinner anywhere else.  Our table overlooked the golf course by the little lake, and it was a lovely view as we ate filet mignon, conversed, and listened to our mom and dad tell the story of how they met and became a couple.

Mom at dinner remembering the early days

Sister in laws Greta and Becky, with Greta's daughter Ariana in the middle

Because we had gotten there a little bit late, and the conversation ran a little long, our guests started arriving just as we were finishing dinner.  My nephew Tom and his girlfriend Hadley were taking pictures of everyone as they arrived, so we would have a good memory of everything from start to finish.  

Nephew Tom and girlfriend Hadley, camera at the ready

I won't bore everyone with the names and faces of everyone (and truthfully, I didn't know everyone there) but here are some of the main characters:

Becky and brother Brent 

Brother Matt, Greta, and Ariana

Brother Chris and a guest (we never got a picture of Chris and wife Jill together!)

Sister in law Jill and a guest - I think his name is Brownie!

The program commenced: a magician!  I've seen this particular one before.  He works at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, and he's very good.  He did everything from fire swallowing

The magician swallowing fire!

The magician floating a table with Mom's assistance

Mom and Dad enjoying their party

to rope and ring tricks, to a floating table.  He did amazing tricks that seemingly needed psychic ability, and we were all wide-eyed, and open mouthed with amazement.  My dad, especially, loves things like that, and tries to figure out how they're done.  This magician is too good, though.  No one had the slightest idea how he did anything.

After that bit of excitement, one of Jill's friends came onstage and sang about 3 songs.  She has a lovely voice, and my mother really enjoyed that part of the program.  She started off with "On The Road To Mandalay" - a rather random selection, except for the fact that my dad sang that to us on an almost daily basis.  Because he's tone deaf, we were all curious as to what the real song sounded like.  Actually, I prefer my dad's tone deaf version, I think.  It's more fun, and has good memories attached.  But the rest of the selections were beautiful love songs, and we all sang along on the last one.  

My brother Chris (master of ceremonies that evening) was just about to wind it up when our youngest niece, Ariana, felt moved to sing a song for her Grandma and Grandpa.  She said she "felt it in her heart."  So she proceeded to sing a long and wandering tune of her own composition.  It seemed like there was no end to it, but she was so adorable... so finally Jill began to clap, which made us all clap, and the gift of song from the heart ended.  

Ariana's aria.  Chris standing by... waiting...

More pictures, and more visiting followed, as people made their way to the dessert table, which consisted of (YES!!) triple chocolate cake, and an ice cream sundae bar.

My dad and his oldest friend, Tom,  and wife

Ariana and Grandma/Mom share a moment at the party

LaMar and I had put together a framed poem, written by my friend Sue Anderson, that all of the guests signed at some point during the party.  It turned out so lovely, and it will be a precious memory for them of a beautiful evening with family and friends.

Sue's poem, framed with guest signatures on the mat

And what about the gift we gave our parents?  Well, we couldn't think of a thing that they didn't already have.  They've been through the wringer this past year with my dad's cancer treatments, and a newly developed heart condition - life has been a little complicated and worrisome.  So we decided to give them a gift that would take them back to those simple years where it all began, before life as we know it got so problematic and complicated.  When the four of us were not even a twinkle in their eyes.  We found a photograph of them in 1951, just after they'd started dating.  It was taken at one of the BYU dinner dances they attended together, and the sweet innocence of this particular photo brings tears to my eyes.  We had it enlarged to 12 x 16 and mounted on canvas, before choosing a beautiful frame for it.  I love the nostalgic feel to it, and I hope it took them back to a wonderful time when love was fresh and new.

Mom and Dad in 1951 - our gift to them

The guests of honor basking in the glow of their celebration

It was a magical evening well spent.  For a few hours, cancer was banished, health issues disappeared, and love for family and friends sparked the night air.  So many people came out to give our parents their best wishes, and we're grateful to them for helping us to make the evening a huge success.  A couple of nights later we all gathered together post-party to celebrate Ariana's 7th birthday, and Mom and Dad were still riding high from the fun and memories of their special celebration.  60 years is quite an accomplishment (61 years this coming June!) and they deserved the biggest party we could throw them.  Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!  Your lives together are an inspiration to all of us, and your party had the best chocolate cake I've ever had.

It's Go Time.

It's go time.  I've picked up the gift for my parents.  It's just beautiful, and I'll be sure to share what it is after the party, along with some pictures from the celebration.  The menu is planned, guests have responded, plans are in place.

My sister in law has worked hard doing the dinner and dessert portion of the evening.  It's their club we're holding the event at.  She is a tireless worker, whereas I am sluggish and prone to procrastination.  By the time I asked, "What can I do to help you?" it was already done.  And beautifully done, I might add.  We'll have dinner, just our parents, siblings, and spouses.  It will be quiet, intimate, and a special time with all of us together.

After dinner we'll adjourn to another room where there will be an ice cream sundae bar and, if I'm not mistaken, triple chocolate cake.  *I do hope I'm not mistaken* This is where the 30 or so friends, plus any grandchildren who are in the area, will join us for dessert and entertainment.  My sister in law hired a magician (this part is mostly for my dad), and a friend of hers will come and sing some beautiful love songs for us - but she will start with "On The Road To Mandalay," which is not a love song at all, of course, but is ingrained in all of the four kids' collective memory as a song my dad always - like almost daily - *tried* to sing.  He is tone deaf and none of us really know what the tune sounds like, but on Wednesday night we will.  I have a feeling that I'll always remember and prefer my Dad's rendition, however.

L and I put together a special frame that has a current picture of my mom and dad topping my friend Sue Anderson's beautiful poem "Fruit of the Vine."  L designed the layout, complete with a beautiful vine graphic, and it will go into the frame surrounded by a thick mat.  Each guest can then sign their name on the mat and include a special message and good wishes.  It will be a nice memory and keepsake from the evening.  I'll be sure to include a picture of the total project and the verse after the party.  It's so lovely, and every time I read it I tear up.  (Thank you Sue! XOXO)

The gift we are giving them is also very special, and I think they'll love it.  I keep running downstairs today to look at it again and again.  It gets my heart every time I see it.

My special dress for the occasion?  Never happened.  I looked.  And looked.  And came home very discouraged.  So I will wear something I already have, and it will be fine.  After all, I'm not the star of the show tomorrow.  That role is for Mom and Dad.  And I'm hoping that the whole evening will shimmer and shine for them.  They deserve it.  60 years together deserves some glitz for their truly great accomplishment, and a sweet glance back to the days when life was simple, and everything was in front of them.

More to come in a day or two.  Right now, it's go time.