Holy Cow! It has Been Awhile!

Well you know what they say . . . the best laid plans of mice and men . . . Although it has been nearly three years (3 really, can that be right?) since my last post, don't think for one minute I haven't had every intention of keeping up with my blog. Oh yea, "intentions", isn't the road to hell paved with them?
Life is still grand in America's Finest City despite having had to put up with Mayor Naughty and all his shenanigans over the summer. Last count 39 people had filed to run for mayor. Is that the unemployment level talking or do people really want the job that bad?
Speaking of jobs, I am still hard at work at Ameriprise with Carl. I know, I said I was not liking the new responsibility, well what did I know? New responsibilities = new endeavors and a more pleasing work environment for me = YEA! If only the commute could be shortened, especially the never ending traffic on the way home on the 15. I have decided to make the best of that situation with audiobooks. Recently, I finished The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani" A good read that my Book Club plans on discussing next week.
Most of all though the book really made me hungry for Italian food. Thank goodness fall appears to be on it's way and so I have been asked to make stuffed shells for this week's Sunday dinner. Homemade sauce with a little bit of Italian sausage in the sauce and some spinach mixed in with the ricotta cheese. Laura has promised to make canollis for dessert. I am doing my best to train her to be what a dear Italian man I know says of my Italian food - "best Italian food of any Irish girl I know".

Random Thoughts on 2010

So I just recently took part in Stacy Julian's "iScrap" class over at Big Picture classes. This class consisted of nine "I" statements. Stacy came up with the statements and it was up to each participant to finish the sentence while at the same time coming up with a relevant photo from 2010 that reflected that statement. Here are the statements:

• I was
• I went
• I once
• I am
• I know
• I love
• I believe
• I wonder
• I will

The statements deal with the past, present and future as it relates to 2010. Here's my take on each statement and the album page I made for each one of them.

I was angry at Tim for moving away and making me change jobs.

This consumed most of my energy for 2010 and while I am happy about how things have turned out, it doesn't change the fact that for a good portion of 2010 I wanted to throttle Tim. We have made peace and will always be friends. Truth is, I miss working for him, but know I need to make the best of my new situation with Carl. He is a good boss and we are definitely starting to get into a good groove when working together.

I went to Boston for the first time.

So any opportunity I have to travel with my Spicy Chix friends is an opportunity I can't pass up. We decided last Spring to forgo scrapping together and embark on a trip to Boston. Karen, Dawn and Heather took great delight in showing me all the parts of the city and sharing all their memories of old haunts like Filene's Basement, the duck pond in Boston Common and even Dawn's old college dorm room near the Back Bay. It was such a blast! Of course, no trip to Boston would be complete unless the #1 Padres fan could pose outside Fenway Park.

I once kept hundreds of people from descending on Ozzy Osbourne at a book singing event.

I was never an Ozzy or even a Black Sabbath fan, but this was a very cool gig. My BFF Susie while still at Warwick's had arranged for a book signing by Ozzy who was promoting his latest autobiography. He is not nearly as wild and crazy in real life as he appears either on his TV show or in some of the tales in his book.

I am a good cook!

Anyone who knows me knows that dessert is my favorite thing. It's what I will always volunteer to bring whenever I am asked to bring a dish anywhere. My favorite dessert of all time is lemon meringue pie. Try as I might over the years, I could never make one as good as my mom's. I think she was smiling down on me because in 2010 I finally did it and it was AMAZING!!!

I know that one day this guy will get his SHIT together!

My first born son, Andrew is 27 with no job, no degree and is very much seemingly floating in space for the time being. He frustrates me because I fear his inability to decide on a course for his life is paralyzing him to the point that he feels it is easier to do nothing than to dive in and do something. I love this kid so much. I know he has so much to offer the world if he would just choose to be a participant.

I love that these two have such a great relationship.

My two kids really love and care deeply about one another. They tell each other, even in front of their friends, that they love each other. I can hardly believe that I worried so before Laura was born that Andrew would hate his new sibling. It warms my heart to know that they will always be there to watch out for each other.

I believe that a convection oven is not the best way to cook a turkey.

And certainly not the best on Thanksgiving day when you have company coming. Our turkey was done over 90 minutes early. Worst part was when Mark lifted it out of the roaster, the bird completely broke in half. It was so not the pretty Norman Rockwell type picture I usually go for with my turkey. At least it was tasty, thanks to our brining efforts.

I wonder what stories the Native Americans told about the images they saw in these rocks.

We took an amazing trip to Lake Powell this past summer. Talk about scenery - it was breath taking! I spent a good deal of time daydreaming about what stories were told around the camp fire in days gone by.

I will always love these three.

These three are what give my life meaning and make me smile every minute of every day. I love them more than they will ever know.

The Scooter Incident

Last fall I was scrapping with my favorite crew, the Spicy Chix in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Karen, my favorite red-head and inspiration for many of my pages was desperately trying to craft a two page layout about a story she felt needed to be told. Her challenge? A whole lot of story and not a picture to be had about it. She tried desperately to make her story fit onto just two 12x12 pages, but try as she might it wouldn't work. I am not sure what happened to this layout, but I came away from this asking myself, what stories do I need to tell?

One story immediately came to mind and I think after hearing it, you will agree with me that it is a very good thing there are no pictures to be had. This story has been regaled many times since it happened in 2004 and now, thanks to my friend Karen's inspiration, I am telling it. Like Karen, my story, even with out photos, would not fit on a 12x12 page. I came up with the next best thing - a mini album!

This story has often been referred to here as "The Scooter Incident" or sometimes just "The Incident". Here's the story:

It started out so innocently. All I wanted to do was take part in the fun that everyone else was having. How did I know it would turn out so terribly wrong?

Let me set the stage. It is February 2, 2004. Andrew, Mark and I have travelled to Amy and Kirk’s condo in Newbury Park to help celebrate my mom’s 81^st birthday. I am cooking and Amy is providing the house and all of the provisions. My nephew, Brian has also joined us. So the entire cast includes: Mark, Andrew, Amy, Kirk, Annabelle, Ian and Brian. Laura couldn’t join us as she had to stay in San Diego for rehersals for a play that was opening the next week.

{Inserted here is the only photos in the album - a collage I made of photos of everyone from near that time period}

It is early in the afternoon, too early to start dinner, and as is typical of Southern California in February, it is gorgeous outside. Everyone decides to go outside, including my mom and the twins, Annabelle and Ian. The twins are taking turns riding their tricycles on the sidewalk outside of their condo while my mom and I walk with them. Everyone else is hanging out near the garage.

As I was walking along the sidewalk with my mom and the twins, Brian comes toodling around the corner on a motorized scooter. I could tell by the smile on his face that he was having a blast. Next thing I know here comes Mark with the same grin of delight.

Never wanting to miss out on any fun, I motion to Mark to come over and let me ride the scooter. Keep in mind, I have been on a motorcycle maybe three times in my life, and never in the driver’s seat. After less than 30 seconds of instrruction, I confidently zoom off back in the direction of Amy’s garage. As I approach the garage, I am gripped with the horrible knowledge that I had really not understood Mark’s directions about stopping this thing. (This is vaguely reminiscent of when Andrew was born and the doctor informed me that I was about to have a Caesarian section and I realized at that moment it was too late to learn everything I should have paid attention to in Lamaze class.) Here again, at 30+ mph too late for a refresher course on braking.

Slow motion now begins to take over in my memory for the next few minutes. Andrew, Kirk and Brian are standing directly in front of the garage, what was to be my final destination. As luck would have it, further down the alley a small truck begins travelling directly towards me. While I am aware that not only do I not know how to stop, I am also travleing way too fast. These realizations come at the exact moment I feel the truck is barreling straight for me and I, of course, steer to get out its way only to over-steer and end up meeting the pavement first with the front of my face and then bouncing and skidding onto my right side.

Please note that much of the next thirty minutes or so I have no recollection of and have had to rely on my son, who continually tells me he will be forever traumatized having seen his mother be road fodder right in front of him, as well as my husband, who when I regained consciouness just said, “don’t ever do anything like that again!”

From what I have been told, shortly before my spin on the scooter, Amy had gone upstairs to her condo to pour cocktails for everyone. Yes, you read that correctly, there was no alcohol involved prior to “the incident”, although I have since learned there was much consumption by everyone other than myself many hours later.

As I lay splattered in front of Amy and Kirk’s garage, Kirk ran up the stairs and the following interaction took place:

Kirk: “Gaye fell off the scooter. Where is the phone?”

Amy: “Who are you calling?”

Kirk: “911”

Amy: “Why?”

Kirk: “I told you Gaye fell off the scooter.”

Amy: (rolling eyes) “Is that really necessary?”

Kirk: “Your aunt is out cold in front of our garage. Yea, I think it is necessary!”

I am told that cocktail production stopped abruptly at this point while the Ventura County parmedics were called. Meanwhile, my 81 year old mother is downstairs trying her best not to have a heart attack as she watches her only remaining living child lying in a pool of blood while her 3 year old twin great grandchildren are standing by her side.

Very soon thereafter not only the paramedics arrived, but also the sheriff and the hook and ladder truck from the fire department. Unfortunately I am still out cold so cannot really get a good look at any handsome firemen that were on the job. I am transported to the Los Robles Medical Center via ambulance but not before everyone is questioned about alcohol intake as well as possible domestic abuse. No one is amused.

About the time that the ambulance rolls into the ER entrance, I am beginning to wake up and am overwhelmed by the pain, particularly the throbbing in my right hand. As I try to bring my hand around to touch my face, I am quickly stopped by a nurse who tells me that I have been in an accident (no shit) and that I should not try to touch my face. I told her I wasn’t trying to touch my face I was trying to figure out why my hand was hurting so much. At that point the nurse looks down at my hand and says, “Oh, you just lost a bit of your finger that’s all!”

Believe it or not, as shocking as that was to both see and hear, I knew at that point, I was very lucky, and if the worst thing that was going to happen was that I would lose a portion of my finger, I would probably be okay with that. I was mostly upset because the finger in question was my ring finger and I always liked the way my pearl ring looked on that finger.

Over the next few hours I was xrayed, scanned and questioned more than once about all manner of things, mostly about whether or not Mark had ever hit me. I’m not sure if it was how ludicris that question was or the pain medication they were giving me, but every time someone asked about domestic abuse, I would start laughing, the questioner would scribble something on the chart and run out of the room. I think they finally figured out this whole incident was all of my own making and that I had no one to blame but myself.

Thankfully, a wonderful plastic surgeon happened to be on call that night. He was very concerned about stitching up the lacerations on my face. He kept saying, “I know this is a beautiful face, and I would like to get it back like it was.” The shots to the face to numb me from the pain were no picnic but the result was well worth it. Except for a small discolored place above my lip, there are no real signs on my face of “the incident”. I am reminded of the scooter incident every morning when I use make-up tohide the discolored spot on my upper lip.

Amazingly, when I told the plastic surgeon that I was concerned about losing my finger, he told me I had nothing to worry about. Sure enough, he skillfully rejoined my finger and with exception of a slightly shorter appearance than the corresponding finger on my left hand, there is nothing that appears different about my injured finger.

I left the hospital about six hours after my arrival and went back to Amy and Kirk’s. My mother couldn’t stop hovering and while that would normally drive me batty, I knew that I had scared the beejeesus out of her that day and so let her dote on me. We had not planned on staying the night, but after such a draining day, no one was ready to leave at such a late hour. Mark and Andrew slept at my feet that night, although I don’t think anyone really slept that night. We set out for home the next day in what felt like the longest and bumpiest car ride ever. All I could think about was how soon we could get home, get the prescription for the pain meds filled and for me to be out of pain.

Did I learn a lesson? Maybe. I won’t ride on a scooter anytime soon, but I can’t promise there won’t be another trip to the ER after some other adventure. Afterall, what is life but an adventure?

Holy Cow! It has Been Awhile!

OK, so it has been nearly six months since my last blog post. Oh, how I wish I could say I have been tromping around Europe or being a roadie for a rock band as my excuse for being so neglectful, but alas, it's just life getting in the way. Things like balancing two jobs, keeping the family intact, catching up with as many as I can on Facebook, learning to knit, etc. have all contributed to my blog neglect.

So one of my New Year's resolutions is to make more time to scrap meaningful pages. I am pretty good at accumulating paper and products and slapping photos down, but what I really need to get better at it is writing meaningful stories behind the pictures. My family doesn't need another layout devoted to how pretty our Christmas tree looks. They do need to know how much they mean to me and I need to make sure they know as much as they can about their roots. Now that I am the remaining member of my immediate family, I find when I think back on times Daddy, Mom and Colleen were with me I think about stories that we shared and stuff that was unique to our family. These are the stories I want to preserve and teach my children about.

Lake Powell - Part 1

OK as promised here is a recap of our fabulous vacation to Lake Powell in July. First off, it must be noted that I have changed my tune about the desert. Having grown up in the high desert of California with its vast tumbleweeds and Joshua trees, I never understood what people were talking about when they said the desert was beautiful. Lake Powell is actually more of a chaparral than a desert but chaparral is a close cousin to desert for these purposes and I am here to tell you this area is stunningly beautiful.

Mark and I left San Diego in the evening after work and drove to Yuma, AZ for the night – about a 3 hour drive. Smart move for us who hate the heat to travel through the Imperial Valley after dark. Not much to see or look at but I was fine with my new laptop power source so I could listen to an mp3 recording of Dorthea Benton Frank’s “Plantation” . I wanted to read this first before diving into the sequel “Low Country Summer” which just came out at the beginning of the summer of 2010. While Carolyn, Tripp, Frances May & I giggled together (and drove Mark nuts, by the way) I also knitted my way through the dark landscape.

Yuma was having a cool spell when we arrived only 90^° when we arrived at 8:30pm. Off to the Olive Garden for dinner and a little air conditioning. The motel was pleasant and we settled in after our dinner. Up early the next morning with a quick stop for me at the gym to work off the pasta from the night before and then to was time to hit the road.

We had no idea how close Phoenix was to San Diego. We made it to Phoenix from Yuma in less than 3 hours. I must confess my only experience with Phoenix has been on layovers on a Southwest flight to and from San Diego. Have made note of its proximity and will definitely explore this city again, just not in July. Time to turn north and head towards Flagstaff and the Arizona/Utah border.

By 4:00 we had made it to Page, AZ which is the gateway to Lake Powell. Page sits right on the border with Arizona and Utah. We have done a massive Costco run in San Diego already but still need to get more of the perishables in Page before picking up the boat tomorrow. We found Jim & Peg and Thom and Sharon in the parking lot at the Lake Powell Resort which will be our “camping spot” for the night (read last real bed for 5 days). Later we all hookup with Mike & Sue and it’s off to Super Walmart in Page for the rest of the supplies.

We pick up pizza, head back to the resort and enjoy the first of some very great “Peggy cocktails” on the shores of Lake Powell as the sun is setting. The anticipation is killing us.

After a great night’s sleep, we meet up and the guys decide they need fishing licenses. Now mind you there are thousands of people swarming around the lake, yet these 4 manage to find the only clerk in the area that can’t figure out how to issue fishing licenses. Not to be deterred we decide we can’t miss our appointment at the dock and forgo the licenses for now in favor of getting the boat out onto the lake.

They have the loading of the boats from the cars down to a science at the dock. Our wonderful guide, Andrew (how can you not love a boy with that name) was so helpful with his ATV sporting a 3-bin trailer to haul 4 carloads of stuff from the parking lot to the dock.

The food alone probably took at least two bins – and let’s not forget about Jim and his 6 pounds of bacon!

So here we are boat loaded, sunscreen on and 8 anxious people ready to go AND – the boat won’t start!

Takes them an hour or so to figure out it’s a bad battery so we get it switched out and proceed to the fuel dock. The boat is like a rental car – they give it to you with a full tank and you need to return it full. The difference is there is only one place to get gas and it’s about $3.75/gallon and the boat holds 300 gallons! Like Jim says, “you can’t play if you can’t afford to play”. Good news is because of our delay from the bad battery the rental place has credited us with 100 gallons of fuel! Sweet!

Off we go! 8 people setting out on a 5 day adventure! Stay tuned!

A New Day A New Job!

OK so I know I still need to post about the vacation. It was absolutely FABULOUS! Exactly what both Mark and I needed. Tomorrow marks a new first for me. For the first time in nearly 12 years I am starting a new job! I can hardly believe it. I am still with Ameriprise and still have the same role I have always had but now will be commuting 20 miles north up to Scripps Ranch and working for a new advisor.
It all started earlier this year when Tim (my present boss and Ameriprise advisor) decided he was moving to Washington. This was shocking news to say the least. Tim has been in California since 1989 and up until very recently had thought he would stay here until retirement. This worked out nicely for me as Tim is just about my age so our retirement times would have coincided perfectly. Fast forward to last summer and due to a layoff for his wife, Michele and the current crisis state of the economy in California for small businesses, Tim decided to relocate to Washington, closer to Michele’s extended family and a state with no income taxes. I told him I thought he was nuts. This is a man that likes to golf all year long. I wish him well and know that we will stay in contact in the future.
Just prior to going on vacation Tim and I talked about when would be the best time for me to start seeking out a new position. Tim will have his office in San Diego open until the end of the year but I am the type that likes to have all my ducks in a row well in advance. Just as I was about to polish my dusty resume, I got a call from an advisor, Carl, that I have known since staring with Ameriprise.
As luck would have it, Carl’s associate has left and Carl needs a replacement. Carl confided to me that before he knew about me looking for work, he said to his wife, “wouldn’t it be great if I could find someone like Gaye?” I’m not sure which was better about this job hunting endeavor, the fact that I went to the “interview” in summer slacks and sandals or that Carl continues to tell me how lucky HE is to have hired me.
Probably the biggest fear for me when I found out Tim was leaving was the thought that I would never find someone as kind and considerate for a boss. Tim has been the best boss I have ever worked for, however Carl recently told me that he is striving to achieve with me what Tim and I have now.
In this era of high unemployment and dismal job prospects for so many, I cannot begin to express how lucky and grateful I feel.
Here’s to a new chapter in my working life . . .

V A C A T I O N - We're Going to Have a Ball!

I am trying my best to not make this blog all about my weight loss journey. I am definitely having my good days and bad days. Surprisingly I have not been making excuses for not working out. That is so not like me. I am trying to keep up with at least 5 days of weight/strength training. I’m so hoping the flabby arms firm up as a result. At the gym, I am alternating with one day of elliptical machine training and another of treadmill training, including some running. I’m up to short 2 minute running bursts at speeds of 4.2 mph. I won’t be running any marathons like my friend Susie, but I feel that within the next few months I should be able to break into a full 10 minutes of running. Wow – this from the former track athlete! Who knew one could fall so far?

My biggest concern right now is that we are leaving on vacation in a week and I don’t want to lose any of my progress. Other than bragging on this blog, I have made a point of not informing the world of my new weight loss venture. Some would say it is because I’m afraid if I fail that there will be those to remind me, but really I think it is because I want this to be something I fully incorporate into my life and so regular exercise, watching what I eat and having treats only occasionally will become the norm for me and not just something I do to achieve a weight loss goal.

Our vacation is with folks from our International Dinner Club, so right there you know we are with people who love to eat. Self-control is going to be the watch word for the week. I know there will be temptations but I am going to try my best to have everyone else indulge rather than me!

Exercising is going to be another challenge on vacation. I’m hoping the lake will provide ample swimming opportunities. Hiking is really only going to be an option in the evening as the heat of the Utah sun in July will make any long day hikes unbearable. I am not one to enjoy exercising in front of others, mainly because I always feel like an ungraceful clod. Four couples on a 615 square foot houseboat for 6 days is going to make “alone” time rather difficult. I will not be deterred, somehow I will manage to move!

Best part about the vacation is the opportunity to catch up on my reading! I have several manuscript galleys (courtesy of my bookstore employee friend, Susie) as well as a few I picked out like “Girl Who Played With Fire”. Hope it is as good as “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”. I also have a few books on tape ("Plantation", the prequel to "Low Country Summer" by Dorthea Benton Frank, currently out in bookstores and "Knit Two", the sequel to "Friday Night Knitting Club") that I plan on listening to in the car while knitting.

Finally, the bonus to the whole trip is a chance to really play with my new toy!

I just picked this up last Sunday and can hardly wait to start recording memories. I hope this helps me to become a better photographer, something I have been yearning to get better at for longer than I can remember.

Today’s favorite number is “9”! That’s how many pounds gone since the journey began! I hope the weigh in after vacation shows a loss and not a gain! In any case – here’s to a great summer vacation. Hope you take time out to enjoy the lazy days of summer!