Everett Andrew Duncan, Jr. 9/26/1958-01/02/2015

Today I watched my brother pass from this world to the next. I saw his face relax and be at peace as he gazed upon someone he loved who came for him. I am grateful for the love of a heavenly father who loves each and every one of us, no matter the life we live or the circumstances we create. I am grateful for families and the support we are to each other. I am grateful for a mother who continued to love this difficult brother when very few others would. I am grateful for my family and the choices they have made. I am grateful to be alive.

A Quick Question

I only want to know. How can I be so busy and have so much to do when I have no children at home and no full-time job yet.

Just askin'.

Well, off to Disneyland with my friends Vicki and Shauna. Happy birthday, Vicki! :)

So Little Time...

So many fun and/or necessary (is it telling that I put "fun" first?) things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them...Now that I am 58 years old I am truly coming to the realization that I probably will not really be able to ever finish that pizza-box-stack of quilt projects, that armoire full of other sewing projects, the shelves of books waiting to be read and studied,  the craft projects in the closet, or all the pages to be created in the scrapbook room.



Not to mention the employment, housecleaning, purging, organizing, and disinfecting I should be pursuing.

Oh yes, and what about all those things I want to do with, talk about, and teach those amazing grandchildren I have?



Julie and Calvin-Oldest and Youngest!

Ally



Tyler, Sydney, Aubrey, Justin, and Logan



Amulek and Hannah

Maizie



Moxie

And what about my neglected indexing, that personal history that only goes up to the birth of my first child, and the journal entries that are locked  in my brain waiting to be recorded.



And how about all those beaches I haven't visited? In fact, all those items listed on my "50 Things to Do Before I Die" list?

I could be really frustrated. Instead, I just feel incredibly blessed.

Life's a Beach!

Have you ever been invited (commanded) to watch a child do something he loves? "Mommy/Nana WATCH me!" And if your attention wanders for even a few seconds you hear about it! "WATCH me! Mommy/Nana WATCH me!"

Have you ever watched my husband surf? :)  :)  :)

 

It's pretty funny. Every time he finishes riding a wave in, he looks to see if I am watching and then waves at me.

This is where we spent last Friday and Saturday in honor of his 61st birthday this Wednesday.



He paddle-surfed and surfed 7.5 hours Friday and 5.5 hours Saturday.

 

Couldn't have asked for a prettier place or a nicer day. Warm and sunny, a little breeze to keep it from being too hot, water not too cold, manageable but decent waves. 

I finished my first substitute training class (100% on the final!) online (only FIVE MORE to go...) in the motel in the early mornings while Jeff surfed, then spent the rest of the day at the beach while he surfed some more.

Walked in the water, soaked in the sun, and read a new legal thriller. What could be better!

A perfect weekend!

"Honey, We Got a Job!" **

FINALLY! After FIVE WEEKS! (That's what happens when the school district gets a new intake program AND a new director...)

This is my happy face! (And, no. I DIDN'T do my hair today. Just never got around to it!) :)

To be perfectly honest, I don't WANT to go to work. I have SO many things to do to get ready to sell this house and so many projects I'd like to get done, that I would rather stay home and do my own thing! (Well, I'm being perfectly honest!) But, if I have to go to work outside the home, (and believe me, I KNOW how blessed I have been all these decades to work in my home office and have my own schedule!) then substitute teaching is the perfect job. I get to be with cute kids (yes, I know I'm being optimistic,) I pick the days I want to work, and even on the days I work I have "school hours!" Pretty sweet, huh?

** Reference to the comment Jeff always made to me when he landed a construction contract!

They Love Their Papa. And Their Popcorn.

Labor Day weekend movie night, watching "Timeline." Papa and the boys seemed to think it was very intense. Grandma S.'s expression conveys the general consensus of the rest of the audience. Only Papa and Maddie made it through to the end. The popcorn was good, though! :)

I just transferred 300 photos from my phone to the computer, so I may be playing catch-up in the next few posts.

Empty-Nest Update

Interesting experience:

My dear friend, Kimberly, who is also a recent empty-nester, told me this anecdote while we were walking last week. She had walked by the elementary schools the day before and was surprised for a few seconds that people were dropping off children for school. It came as a momentary surprising thought to  her that if SHE had no school children left, why was school still going on as usual for others???

It wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining to me if I hadn't had almost the exact same experience the day before. I was driving to the post office and I saw two teenage girls walking in the park. "Hey!" I thought to myself, "That looks like (Maddie's friends) Jana and Amy." Then I scoffed, "Oh, Silly. It can't be Jana and Amy. Jana's working in an orphanage in Cambodia and Amy's away at college." Then, just for a moment I thought, "Well, how can there still be high school girls here, if I don't have any left?? Why is school still going on as usual for others..." :)

                                             Jana, Amy, and Maddie in their
                                            "Charlie's Angels" prom photo.
                                                   

Kinda silly, I know, but just exemplifies how completely our lives have changed. I DID have children at home for 36 years in a row, after all!