Jenster's Musings

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Time

Crossposted at Mothers With Cancer

Todd and I will celebrate our 21st anniversary in June. Some days it doesn’t seem half that long and others it seems like our golden anniversary is just a few years away. I’ve been trying to organize all my photographs from the past 21+ years and I can’t help but linger over pictures of the kids at different stages of their lives. It’s a bittersweet thing to be sure. How did Taylor go from that six-year-old muscle man to a junior in high school considering colleges and careers? Or that adorable three-year-old girl with the curly brown hair. When did Katie turn into a 14-year-old with the confidence to sing in front of an audience of junior high and high school students?

“Cherish these moments. They won’t last long.” How often did I hear those words when my kids were small? Probably more than I can count. I listened and I DID cherish those moments. The conveyers of such wisdom were right. Each instant was over in a blink of an eye.

I love getting a glimpse of the adults Taylor and Katie are turning into. Most of the time I thoroughly enjoy hanging out with my teenagers, but sometimes I wish I could just jump in a time machine and go back to when they were little.

Time is such a funny thing. It never goes at the same speed. When you’re sitting in a boring classroom those 50 minutes seem to stretch on forever. But when you’re doing something you love it seems to breeze by. While I was looking through the photographs it hit me. I’m three months shy of the four year anniversary of my diagnosis.

That first year felt more like several years. I’d start to see the light at the end of the tunnel, only to realize it was a speeding train heading right for me. It was a frustrating year, full of immense physical and emotional struggles. I really thought once I was told there was no more cancer (never thinking I might have a metastasis or recurrence) everything would get back to normal.

But instead of normal, my family moved, settled into our new home, and then I started planning my reconstruction. Once I felt recovered from that I found myself having a complete hysterectomy with removal of my ovaries, throwing me into instant menopause for the third time. It was just one thing after another after another.
2008 was the first year since my diagnosis that was truly good. It took three years for me to get to that point and it felt like forever. But now it sometimes seems like a lifetime ago. Until I wear myself out and end up with thrush and ulcers on the roof of my mouth, courtesy of whatever funky things chemo did to me three years ago.

I don’t delude myself into thinking it will ever be forgotten. My body will always carry the battle scars as reminders. I am once again a happy and contented person except now there is a bit of mournfulness just under the surface that wasn’t there before. That has gotten better with time and I am hopeful it will someday go away - maybe when I finally and completely accept my “new normal.”

Three-and-a-half years ago, when I had just barely started down this path, I thought the journey ended after the treatment and the reconstruction and hearing the words, “No Evidence of Disease”. At that time I felt as though I was progressing so slowly and the road to the final destination would be an excruciatingly long one. What I have learned, however, is the journey never ends. Thankfully the scenery changes, though. The desert that appears never ending does finally lead to greener pastures and the journey becomes much more tolerable and eventually pleasurable.

Just like I would love to travel back in time to when my kids were little, I would love to travel back in time to four years ago; before my world changed forever. But if I were to stay in the past I would miss out on so much the present has to offer. Two incredible teenagers who make me laugh and smile and, yes, a little crazy. And a life with more wisdom and depth and even purpose than I knew before.

So if you are in the middle of the desert and are blessed to fully recover from cancer, I offer you hope. The time may drag by right now, but this too shall pass. I promise.

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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

GUESS WHERE I AM

If you answered my cozy couch you would be wrong. However, if you answered the big, comfy green chair which used to be Todd's but has somehow become MY big, comfy green chair you would be correct!

GUESS WHAT I'M DOING

If you answered fretting about missing work you would be wrong. If you answered writing a blog post whilst watching The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with the kids you would be correct!

GUESS WHAT THE KIDS HAVE DONE SO FAR TODAY

If you answered shoveled the driveway and the sidewalk you would be wrong. If you answered nothing much more than make microwave popcorn to eat whilst watching the movie you would be correct.

Hold on. It's the part with Sam and the giant spider...

Okay. I'm back.

As I said in my last post -- er, second to last post -- it started snowing around 10:00 last night. At 5:40 this morning we still hadn't gotten the automated call from the school about a delay or closing and I heard Taylor rustling around as he stumbled to the bathroom to start his day. I got up and looked out the window and knew there was no way school was starting on time. So I ventured out of my room and told him to go back to bed; if it was only a delay I'd wake him up in enough time for him to get ready. I poked my head in Katie's room and told her to turn off her alarm.

Before I settled back into my own bed the phone rang. NO SCHOOL TODAY! Yea!! We didn't have any snow days last year so it was about time we had one. As for me and not working, I actually brought some stuff home from work. You know, the kind of stuff you keep thinking about but never get around to doing.

I was going to have the kids do the shoveling before we watched the movie, but the weatherman reported warming temperatures by noon and rain shortly after. Sure enough, it's about 36 now with a steady drizzle. I didn't think it would be very nice to make them go shovel something that's probably going to melt on it's own. Besides - I'm nearly a whole entire month into this Mother of the Year thing!

Oh! Another favorite part of mine! Maybe my most favorite of all! Hold on...

Okay. Eowyn just killed the "unkillable" Witchking. It's all good.

So anyway, we all got our wish and are thoroughly enjoying our day. The only thing that would make it better is if Dad was here. Maybe next snow day.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A Picture Says It All

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About The Weather

Here we are again, wishing. and hoping. and thinking. and praying. Get it? Anyone? No? Any minute a winter storm of epic proportions will make its way through our neighborhood, crushing any chance of getting to school or work tomorrow!

We need one snow day this year. Not just a two hour delay, but a whole day where the most strenuous thing we have to do is boil the water for the hot chocolate. Except that the kids will have to go out and shovel the sidewalk and driveway. But I'll show them the love by making an endless pot of hot chocolate with lots of mini-marshmallows. They'll come in and change into comfy sweats or jammies or something and then we'll all curl up with our mugs of smooth, chocolaty goodness and watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in surround sound which freaks Sookie out so she'll go take a nap on the landing until the movie is over.

Yeah. That's what we need.

UPDATE: At 10:00 it's lightly snowing and the weather people are still sticking to their story of bad weather overnight. Hopefully I'll be posting an update from the comfort of my cozy couch tomorrow morning...

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Sunday, January 25, 2009

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!!

Today is my dad's birthday. Oh how I wish I could take my motley crew and impose upon my folks to help celebrate another milestone. Instead I'm just gonna talk about him (in past tense just because I'm thinking back to when I was a kid) a little bit.

I've always seen my dad as a quiet, unassuming man and also one of the smartest people I've ever known. He could carry on a conversation with a brilliant scholar or an uneducated dockworker - no one was above or beneath him. Everybody, no matter their education, station, race, whatever, received the same respect. He never flaunted his intelligence and I think there were probably a lot of people who never had any idea just how smart he really was.

He loved classical music and dixieland jazz and I would say he gave my sisters and me an appreciation for all different forms of music. I can remember him sitting in the big, plaid chair in the living room, enjoying a drink while Rossini's William Tell Overture played on the stereo, my sisters and I galloping around the house like the Lone Ranger. Or secretly loving (though I acted embarrassed) watching him dance around with a cigar in his hand as we stood in line at the French Market Restaurant in Disneyland as the jazz band played away.

Mom and Dad were known for their ability to cut a mean rug, too. Every wedding reception where Glenn Miller's In The Mood was played found them doing their thing on the dance floor. Embarrassing to a stupid teenager, but impressive to everyone else.

Dad taught us girls how to read a map and gave us each a pretty good sense of direction. He also taught me to fish and pee in the woods. He never managed to get me to hang over the side of a boat and pee, much to his frustration. I made him take the boat into the dock just as the fish started biting. Of course by the time we got back out to the same spot the fish had moved on.

I love the memories I have of a regular Saturday at home. He would mow and trim and do all the yard work, take a shower and clean up, and then grill in the backyard while he smoked his stogie. The smell of fresh-cut lawn, grilling meat and a cigar equal such happiness to me. Once when I was about 14 or so, I begged him to let me try his cigar. "No, no, no", he kept saying, but I pestered and pestered. So he handed me the cigar and I took a puff, only to turn green and nearly upchuck in the flower beds. As I recall he got a big kick out of that. And I never had a desire to smoke a cigar after that!

Both my parents have always be great examples of serving others. Long before I came along they were active at church, helping in whatever way they needed to. I never thought a whole lot about it - it's just what they did - until I got much older. Now I realize how much of their lives they've given to help others. Even now they work at their church and once a month at a local food pantry. Because it's just what they do.

One of my favorite things to do growing up was our family outings after church on Sundays. Sometimes we'd drive up Western to the Tide Pools and then stop at Arthur's Ice Cream on the way home. Or sometimes we'd take a change of clothes and a picnic lunch and go for a long ride over Mulholland or maybe up to Oak Glen for apples. When most teenagers abhorred hanging out with their folks, I loved to do these fun things with mine.

I was blessed with a very happy and secure childhood. I never doubted my parents loved me and I never doubted they loved each other. Of course Mom played a big part in this security, but today's post is about Dad. :o) To say Dad never got mad would be a falsehood, but he wasn't one to fly off the handle. Usually when my sisters or I were in trouble we deserved it. Of course, we may not have seen it that way at the time.

My dad and I danced to Daddy's Hands by Holly Dunn at my wedding. I can't hear that song twenty years later and not get choked up. I heard it in the grocery store as I was checking out a couple years ago and I could hardly hold it together. But the words couldn't have been any more perfect:

I remember Daddy´s hands, folded silently in prayer.
And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.
I remember Daddy´s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.
There are things that I´ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,
But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

I remember Daddy´s hands, working 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over, I´d live my life again.
And never take for granted the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love .....
In Daddy´s hands.


OH MY GOSH! I'm blubbering again! Dangit! Anyway, my dad was an electrical engineer so I doubt his job ever caused his hands to bleed, but the chorus sums up my daddy's hands perfectly.

And speaking of his hands, I always loved them. They were always neat and clean except when he'd been working in the garage or in the yard and then he'd scrub them with Lava and they'd be clean again. I always thought of them as elegant hands and one of the first things I noticed about Todd was how he had hands like my dad's. Isn't it funny the things that make an impression on us?

I could go on and on and on, but I'll bring this to a close by talking a little bit about my other dad.

Because God is an ethereal being we tend to project our own experiences to create a God we can relate to. Some people see God as distant because they had a father who was distant. Some people see God as indifferent because their father was indifferent. Some people see God as totally absent because, well, you get the idea.

Myself? I've never had a problem seeing God as the perfect and wonderful God He is. Loving, kind, gentle, just, stern when needed, merciful, etc. Now I'm certainly not saying my dad IS God. Just ask my mom and she'll tell you he hasn't walked on water. But what I am saying is that he has always been a great example of a kind and loving Father. Just like my Heavenly Father.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!

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Sunday, January 18, 2009

A Buncha "F" Words

Was that title shocking? I hope so because I like to throw in a little shock value every now and again. Keeps things fresh.

I got this FUN meme from Gretchen at Jewels In My Crown.

Rules: If you want to play, leave a comment on this post, and I’ll assign you a letter. You write about ten things you love that begin with your assigned letter, and post it at your place. When people comment on your list, you give them a letter, and the chain continues on and on...

Gretchen gave me the letter F.


FAITH - This is my most favorite thing of all, not just my favorite F thing. Without my faith I don't think the rest of the F things, or any other letter things, would be quite as brilliant to me.

FAMILY - This is my second most favorite thing of all, and not just because it starts with F.

FRIENDS - This is almost as good as the first two!

FUR - As in "Sookie's fur is so soft," not, "I love my fur coat," or "I need to shave the fur off my legs."

FRAPPUCCINOS - Of the vanilla, mocha or coffee variety.

FOO FIGHTERS - This may surprise a lot of you, but I do love this band.

FUZZY BLANKETS - I especially love a warm, fuzzy blanket to wrap up in when the temps outside are frigid like they are now.

FUN - Who doesn't like to have fun??

FOREIGN TRAVEL - My foreign travel is limited to Mexico and the Caribbean, but I really hope to remedy that some day. I'm counting on Scotland in four and a half more years and I would love to travel all over Europe.

FOOD - One look at me and you know just how much I love food.

So who wants a letter??

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Friday, January 16, 2009

The Croc Saga

I recently learned something very disheartening about a good friend of mine. I'll call her Sina so as to keep her anonymous. We don't always agree on everything and that's fine.

I was disbelieving when she told me she doesn't like Jane Austen and finds her boring, but I realize Miss Jane is not everyone's cuppa tea.

I was mystified when it came out she doesn't enjoy doing Beth Moore studies, but I accept we all learn differently.

But when I found out this latest thing about her... I can hardly bring myself to say it out loud... But here I go...

She joined a Facebook Group called, "I Don't care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass." Oh yes she did! As you can imagine, this has stirred up much controversy on her profile.

Now I realize crocs may not make a fashion statement, but they really are comfortable and I'm sorry Sina, but they don't make people look like a dumbass. To show my support of Crocs I created this Visual Ode to Fuzzy Crocs:



Say what you will, Sina. I know what's important in life and comfy shoes is near the top of the list. I think you need to step out of the darkness and over into the light.

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Monday, January 12, 2009

Where In The World Have I Been?

Or more appropriately, where has the last week gone?? Is this what happens when you go back to work? You're actually up and out and doing things and the next thing you know, the entire week is gone and you're onto the next one? And not just the working thing, either, but Todd was in Phoenix last week which meant I was running the kids all over the place just about every night. So who has time to blog? (Sorry Lynilu!)

Saturday I worked in Katie's room with her. Holy moly, is all I'm gonna say. 'Cause really, anything else would just be mean. OH ALL RIGHT! I've just gotta say a little more. What an absolute disaster! We got a lot done, but we're far from finished. We did see - and even vacuum - a good deal of carpet that we haven't see in quite some time. That was exciting.

Saturday night I had a little bit of a meltdown. It was a cumulation of a lot of things - some big, some not so big - all related to cancer in some form or fashion. It sounds pretty lame to me considering I've been out of treatment for over three years now. It's this stinking "new normal". I don't like it. I miss the old normal. I was fairly happy with the old normal. It wasn't perfect by any means, but I was comfortable and content with who I was. Now I have a hard time seeing that same person. And not just my outward appearance, either. Even my way of thinking is different and not necessarily for the better.

I blame Beth Moore for the cryfest. My Home Team is doing her study on David and Friday we watched a video where she talked about the process of dealing with an overwhelming circumstance when you're close to God. With each step she mentioned I could see a short video of my life three-plus years ago played out and, frankly, it hurt.

I saw myself flat on the floor next to my bed, crying my heart out to God. I saw myself during the days before my surgery, praying the doctor was wrong. I saw myself as I was going through chemo, weeping and praying for success and asking to be around long enough to see my grandchildren. I saw myself when I was weak or in pain or heartbroken over my long distance marriage, praying for the strength to just get to the next day. And I saw myself following all my scans and appointment with my oncologist after my last treatment, praising God and thanking Him for getting me through it all.

Try as I might to go to my happy place and ignore Beth Moore altogether, I couldn't do it and I ended up in tears. Stupid Beth Moore. Stupid leaky eyes. But what great friends I have to love me despite my little emotional outburst.

After that I was kept pretty busy and didn't have a lot of time to think about and process the lesson. But deep inside I knew it would happen because there are some things I'm still dealing with that make me very sad, though I tend to just push those matters to the back. But Beth had opened the door and by Saturday night the door flew open and it all came spilling out. Poor Todd. Or I should say poor, wonderful Todd.

There is, as usual, much more to the story that I'm not willing to share. Some things are just too personal (she who wrote nearly every detail of her breast reconstruction says). At least for right now. Some day it will be written down for all to read, though. Because nobody ever told me it would be like this and though I realize everybody is different, I'm finding out these taboo issues are common among survivors.

Not surprisingly, I slept really well Saturday night! And last night, too. I had the hardest time getting out of the bed this morning. Not only that, but I'm just about to admit I'm getting sick. So far I've managed to deny it to myself and everyone else, but the sandpaper in my throat can be ignored for only so long. And now it's after 11:00 and I have to get up early tomorrow!! Because, you know, I'm still working toward that Mother Of The Year thing. Only 352 days left! But I have to say, each freezing morning I get up and out early enough to drive my kids the half a block to the bus stop the less appealing the award is looking to me.

So there you have it. That's where I've been. Right here, doing my thing - whatever that may be.

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Sunday, January 04, 2009

Sickies, Weight, Age, and Other Depressing Subjects

I'm almost afraid of jinxing myself by typing this, but since I'm not the superstitious type I'm going to type it anyway. Everyone in my family has been sick except for me. Taylor started it off, to be quickly followed by Katie and Todd. Apparently all those immune system workouts at the preschool last year has finally paid off. Still, I wish the rest of the family would feel better. And stop breathing on me.

Todd's folks gave us a Wii for Christmas, including Wii Sport and Wii Fit. There's a fitness test on Wii Sport that measures balance, stamina and strength and then tells you your fitness age. The first time I did it I came up as 57. I'm 43. The goal is 20. No biggy, though. I figured after a couple days of getting into the swing of things I'd test closer to my real age. So two days later I took the test again. This time I scored at 77. As in 20 years older than my already too old score of 57. Made me want to throw a shoe at the TV. I made up for it with my last test, though, where I came up as 31. I think I'll stop with the testing for a while and just go with that score.

To do the Wii Fit you have to make a profile. You give your age and your height, you stand on the balance board to be weighed and it gives you your BMI. It also plumps up your cute little Wii character in direct proportion to your BMI. Which I find very sad because if she is my virtual self shouldn't she look how I WANT to look? You know - tall, thin, alluringly sexy as opposed to short, pudgy and middle aged - how I look in real life.

When I get past my Wii image I thoroughly enjoy it. I do a little yoga, a little balance fitness and a little aerobics for 30 minutes a day and bank my points. Right now I hold the lead in slalom, ski jump, hula hoop*, tight rope and running (I think). And I'm just competitive enough to want to keep those leads.

So the whole point is to exercise every day and watch my little Wii character's BMI go down. So far I've watched it go up. I gained 3.1 pounds in three days and watched my fluffy little Wii girl get fluffier. In my head I know I couldn't have gained 3 pounds of fat that quickly, but it sure is discouraging! No matter. I still plan on having fun with it. Maybe eventually my little Wii chick will be short, thin and middle aged. I'm not keen on the short or the middle aged, but I'll take it.

My only other depressing subject is about tomorrow. The Monday after a two week break. I'm looking forward to getting back to work. I'm just not looking forward to getting up early. And do you know why I get up early? It's not because I have to leave the house at an early hour or anything. No. It's because I'm a bloomin' good mom, that's why! I could easily sleep until 7:30, maybe closer to 8:00 and still get to work by 9:00. But I get up early enough to take my shower and then see Taylor before he leaves for school at 6:45. I could take my shower after that, but then I wouldn't get to hang out with Katie before she leaves at 7:20. For sure I could take my shower after that, but then Sookie would be in her crate from 7:30 until Taylor gets home from school at 3:00. So I sacrifice that which I hold near and dear to my heart just so I can be the loving, nurturing, selfless mom that I am, dangit!

Along those lines, I'm happy to say that it's already the fourth of January and I'm STILL in the running for Mother of the Year 2009. I'm feeling good about it. I really think this is my year!

*If you're interested, and I can't imagine you would be, Todd wrote a post about me and the hula hoop.

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Friday, January 02, 2009

Continuing...

I'm going to see if I can knock out the rest of the holiday saga. Here we go...

* Taylor has continued on with his yearly Christmas tradition of being sick on Christmas. Poor baby.

I am not kidding. Every stinkin' year he has a head cold or a sinus infection or bronchitis or something. One year we were doing family pictures with a professional photographer and he was miserable. We pumped him up with Tylenol and managed the session in the fever-free, half-way okay window. Another year he sat alone at a little table in the entryway of the in-law's house which was close to, but not actually at the big table because he was sick and nobody wanted that Christmas gift. This year he laid on the couch in view of the rest of us at the dinner table. It's so sad. But he takes it in such stride and never complains.

* The food has been phenomenal.

Chicken piccata, homemade tacos, breakfast casserole, hashbrown casserole, donuts, cakes, coffee, bagels, authentic shepherd's pie - and that's all I can remember at the moment.

* We're up to 14 people (counting the twins) in two condos and there's always something going on. Katie has shown her competitive side which makes me think of a story. Sorry. You'll have to wait for the story.

There are times when Katie does something that is so me I have to laugh. Playing games is no different. She learned how to play Mexican Train (dominoes) and Triominoes with Aunt Joanne, cousin Stacy and Stacy's boyfriend, Niall. Since she's 14 they took it a little easy on her. Until they realized that she learned quickly, plays dirty and takes no prisoners. Kind of like when I was about her age and my parents went out of town, leaving me with my cousins Ron & Barb for the weekend. They taught me how to play Hate Your Neighbor - UNO before there was UNO. I caught on fairly fast and played with a vengeance. Their friend, a priest, came over to play and he kept saying he was going to grab his exorcism kit from the car because I was clearly evil. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (I say while fiendishly rubbing my hands together)

Am I proud that my genteel daughter has a vicious game playing streak? You betcha!!

* The temps have been in the 50's and everybody thinks it's freezing, meanwhile the boys in my family are walking around in shorts and t-shirts.

I love the desert. I really do. I forget just how much until I find myself in the Southwest or Palm Springs. One of the things I love is the winter weather. Mild and sunny during the day and crisp and cool at night. Perfect!

* I shall be forever grateful that Taylor brought his computer, otherwise I might be rolled up in the fetal position in the corner shaking uncontrollably. But don't tell him I said that. I gotta keep it cool around him.

This one needs no explanation.

* Grandpa made a total funny about books. I'll tell you about it later.

Grandpa noticed Katie's big book and she told him she reads a lot. He said he's been reading a lot of books lately, too. On tape.

* People who live in golf resorts don't look kindly upon golf cart races. Just sayin'.

This was a little misleading as no actual races took place. Taylor wanted to pull a Mario Andretti around the resort, but the cart will only go so fast. He would try to catch up to people, but it never happened.

He did nearly throw me out the windshield by stomping on the break and gave me whiplash by stomping on the accelerator. I didn't find the humor in either. At all.

* Todd's back. Just a little teaser. More on that after the holidays.

Some of you may recall Todd used to have a blog called Jenni and Me. He started it on August 24, 2007 and ended it on September 11, 2007. He saw it as his chance to show people a different perspective than mine. Totally unnecessary as evidenced by the very short run. But for some reason he's felt the need to start it back up. Probably because I don't talk enough about Sookie. Whatever. As long as he keeps his stories to puppy antics we'll get along just fine.

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Thursday, January 01, 2009

Christmas Trip - Part I

We left for Palm Springs on Monday, December 22. Just like when we flew to Hawaii, we had to leave the house at 4:00 in the morning. Unlike when we flew to Hawaii, it was 14 degrees outside. In case you've never experienced 14 degrees - that's cold. REALLY cold.

The route had a two-hour layover in Phoenix and, thanks to Todd's travel schedule, we were able to hang out in the United Airlines lounge. Do you know they have free coffee and snacks there? Maybe that was a secret and you only get to know that if you're "in the club", but if that's the case they shouldn't have let me in.

The weather was lovely when we landed in Palm Springs. I think it was the upper 50's, lower 60's, and sunny. Quite a difference from that 14 degrees we'd left behind. And since we were flying East to West, it was still early in the day.

Okay. Enough of the first day. Now on to better things.

Tuesday morning I borrowed my Mother-In-Law's car and drove to It's A Grind to meet up with His Girl and Fabmama. I was so exited that I got there early, ordered my delicious brew and snatched a table for three. Then Fab walked in and I knew instantly it was her. Not just because I'd seen her picture on her blog, but because there was an air of total fabulousness about her.

The girl is hilarious. Truly. Look what she brought - just in case we had trouble actually talking.



So we're standing there, waiting for our orders, laughing at Fab's silliness, when in walks His Girl and the fun really began. Check out His Girl's shirt!



After a lot of chatting and laughing and gabbing and giggling sprinkled with a smattering of fairly deep talk of spiritual matters (seriously) we got the poor guy at the coffee house to take a picture of us. I'm the short one.



Then because we are zany we had to take these pictures of our very own personalized comment whiteboards. Check out the word verifications. That Fabmama is very clever.



Sadly our families and/or jobs wouldn't let us hang out forever. Poor Mr. Fab and the boys returned from their exploring only to have to sit in the van for what probably seemed like forever while we girls said our goodbyes. I'm sorry, Mr. Fab, but as the old adage says, parting is such complete lameness. Still, it was a great way to get the week rolling!

The only bad thing about the whole day was the fact that Todd and I didn't get to see our friends, Cathy and John. It's the first time we've ever been back to California for a visit and not seen them. We were going to try to get together that evening, but it just didn't work out. Which only means we have to go back.

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Mused by Jenster :: 10:57 AM :: 8 People musing:

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