Slowing down??

These are pictures taken of my grandsons by their Aunt Marissa during a visit to her home last month. Would you believe I forgot to take pictures of them when they were at my home?? I am telling you, I can be my own secret admirer and hide my own Easter eggs. If I am this bad now, we must all pray fervently that I never develop Alzheimers. Anyway, thanks Marissa!

No, I am not really slowing down. It is really busy inside my head. Of course, that is pretty much always like that, but for the past few days, the focus (?) and motivation for the "busy-ness" of my brain is a little different. Why, you ask? Good question! I have been seeking the Lord and His direction about going to New Zealand for an extended visit with Tanisha, Phillip and the boys. A "no-brainer" you say? Well, first, for those of you that don't know my history, let me share my propensity for flying by the seat of my pants and jumping into things before reasonable investigation. I am sure my daughters could tell you about my, ahem, sense of adventure. (And their spouses can tell you about my many moves in the past few years, having been opportunities for working family get-togethers on several occasions)

So, in my new life, I am committed to seeking God's will for my life. That has been an ongoing process, starting even before my baptism, but especially at this point in my life, it is important to be reasonably assured of doing what Heavenly Father wants me to do. It has occurred to me that I have probably been here on earth for a bit more than half of my allotted time here, so I need to budget what time remains. There is a lot that I want to do here on earth, so my little rabbit trails need to be managed. (This is such new behavior)

So today's tentative plan is that I will be visiting Tanisha's family in NZ for approximately 6 months, give or take. Probably leaving the US in February after greeting the new grandchild that Marissa & Dustin are bringing into the world (which is another exciting occasion for me to look forward to!)

I think I got out of the habit of writing in my blog when I was visiting Jenna & her family. I had the privilege of supporting Jenna after her recent surgery (she is doing well, thank you for asking) Not only did I get to spend time with my two grandchildren, but I discovered Maria's cookies. I was delighted to find some in the Mexican foods section of my local supermarket. Woohoo!!!!

OK, it's time for me to go walk & ponder on the beach. I know, it's a tough life, but someone has to do it!

happy birthday to me

I almost forgot it was my birthday until a friend brought me a present--she was going to take me out to lunch until she heard my froggish voice. I think I have the dreaded New Zealand cold **smile** but if I do it is worth every moment of it. I had so much fun playing with Tanisha & her boys!!

Oops--have to go--there's a florist in my driveway............

I love walking on my beach

This morning was very foggy....summer--what summer??--and I was enticed to talk a walk on the beach. I know, there's a surprise, huh? When I got to the place where the street turns into a sandy beach approach, where I can usually see the ocean, I couldn't see the ocean. I walked to the water's edge, and then I was able to see through the mist, what appeared to be a small island. There were several birds of varying species resting there. Of course there were the requisite seagulls, but they were entertaining geese, and I think I saw PELICANS. I have to look up somewhere to find out if we really do have pelicans here, or if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I love having the beach almost in my back yard. I really enjoy walking anywhere I can walk to without crippling myself.

I have more planning to do for this trip to the lovely Tri-cities. I will report back later.

I love Maxine!

HEY CHECK THIS OUT!!!

Go to the bottom of the page....don't ask questions, just do it! You can watch TV online. Or you can listen to TV online while you read my blog. Is that not amazing?

OK, now I am going back to looking for rental cars...................

puttin' one foot in front of the other

Not a lot going on---yet. Trying to figure out a way to get me & the dogs (yeah-I know that's awful grammar) where we need to go so I can spend some time with Jenna after her surgery. I am really sick of this car thing, and believe me, when I get back to work, I am buying a decent dependable car. Today I cleaned a bit at the church, went to an NA meeting. I spent the night last night at a friend's to keep an eye on her two teenage sons while she is out of town. I talked to all three of my daughters today. I am getting excited to see my new grandson, and to renew my relationship with his older brother!

OK, back to looking for the closest rental car agency..................grrrrrrrr.

another day in paradise

Well, well, well. This morning I realized I needed to get my meds refilled (a tad late, but hey--I have this add brain that is spotty on my best days) but I forgot to take today's meds. Until now, and my day is almost over--thank goodness. Then I noticed that my atm card is missing. I used it yesterday morning on the way to church. But I cannot for the life of me figure out where I put it. I've got the money, but not the card or transaction receipt. So I decided to go in person to my bank. I grabbed the keys to my "rental" and take off. The bank woman, who was very kind and did not laugh at me, helped me to cancel that card and to order a new one with a new number, which I will get in about a week or so. Since my bank is next door to the grocery store, I decided to pop in there and grab a few things. When I got home, I realized I had left my house key hanging where I put my keys so I don't lose or forget them, which is locked in my house. So I drove down the street to a friend's house, and called the locksmith (who is in our branch) and he and his wife walked down after they ate dinner. After numerous tries to unlock my house, he got it open and now I am sitting here, hoping Tanisha's plane ride was smoother than my day today. This is the second time in a year I have locked myself out of my house.

I think that Marissa & her family may not be coming to visit this summer. I am bummed.