She Sings

Happy Birthday Tracy!

My very good friend turned 40 on Saturday and we celebrated our way!First, we met at Great Harvest and had our usual scone and iced tea. Then we had our walk twice around the lake. Next, we drove out to Whitewater and stopped at Subway for a delicious lunch. Our lunch was followed by a vigorous hike and a visit to the gift shop. Tracy found a nice zip hoodie to purchase with the $$ her mom sent her. On our way back to Rochester we stopped at A&W for ice cream. Hold on, the fun didn't stop there! We both went to our respective houses to clean up and then met for Greek Fest. It was good food and music although for the first time in the 6 years or so that I have been going they started to run out of things. I barely made it in to get my baklava. I usually buy 10 of them and save them to savor over the course of time seeing as how no one can make them like the Greek Fest Lady. To my horror, they had almost run out! There were only 8 left. I bought them all much to the disdain of the folks behind me in line. Oh well. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I had two yesterday and Rhi had one so there are only five left. They won't last long...

After Greek Fest we went to my house for cake, wine and presents. I am kind of broke right now so I couldn't get her much. I promised her dinner at a resterant of her choosing after payday.

It was a really fun day. I am so fortunate to have a friend that enjoys the same things as me. I have had only one friend, Jessica, who truely loves the outdoors like I do so having Tracy love it too is very refreshing. We even had a garden together this year! Anyone want any cucumbers?

This morning I am getting ready for the Superintendents Welcome followed by our school staff meeting. Yes, school begins. We have a new principal at our school this year as ours was hired for the new school slated to open next Fall. I am tired (not used to getting up so early) and a little anxious. Not eager, anxious. I hate how people misuse those to words. I hope our new leader is a good one. She is from outside of Rochester which is a plus in my eyes. We'll see...

Ahhh...It's Going to be a GREAT day!

"Lee County Electric Cooperative reports 8,000 residents on Marco Island without power, while Florida Power and LIght reports more than 20,000 residents in Collier County are currently without electricity, according to the county's Bureau of Emergency Services.

Collier County remains under a tropical storm warning. All hurricane warnings are discontinued. The National Weather Service reports Tropical Storm Fay made landfall at Cape Romano.

Nearly 150 people are reported at the three hurricane shelters open in Collier County, according to county officials. The shelters are located at Immokalee High School, Golden Gate High School and Palmetto Ridge High School."

Now I would never wish ill will to the innocent, but seeing as how this is where my ex and his ilk reside I say-way to go Fay! Couldn't happen to a "nicer" guy... *big smile*

Sweetness

This was the scene last Friday (the 8th) at our house. Pete and Rachel were finally able to take Max home. It is so nice to see how much weight he has gained and how adept Rachel has become at feeding him (no small feat). The plan has always been, however, that they all move out of our house before school as it would be a hardship on all of us but especially Rhi to have a baby around during school. Pete's mom drove Pete's sister to college and then came back to get a room ready at Pete's parents house. I know Pete's mom can't wait to have the baby around and it is fair that Pete and Rachel should live at their house for awhile until they can get their own place. But I do miss him so... I know I'll still get to see him quite often and yes things have been nice and quiet with them gone but I still get lonely for them sometimes.

It is especially nice for Rhi to finally have her own bathroom and to have a room available for a guest. I regret I was not able to swing it sooner for David.

I just read that Florida is preparing for some bad weather... That warms the cockles of my heart! Marco Island, Fay, straight to Marco Island!

Anyway, the thing that really warms my heart more than anything is Max. I can't wait to hold that little sweetness in my arms again! Grandma can't get enough!

Where Do We Go?

That is the question. Jon will finish his Residency this Spring and we are in the middle of trying to decide where we go from here.

Our *orginal* plan was to finish Jon's schooling here and move out West somewhere like Idaho, Washington or Colorado. School took waaaaaay longer than anyone thought and in the meantime we have made a life for our family here. We have been in Mn for 14 years now. I have had a contract job for ten of those years. Rachel has spent her entire childhood here and Rhi is right in the middle of her schooling. *Sigh*

We have so many roots here and of course the easiest thing is to just stay. Jon has a few offers from here already and they are pretty decent. It is also financially smarter to stay as I have a job here and the pay is better than anywhere else I might go. If we stayed we could easily pay off all of our debt and start really putting away for retirement.

Still, where does one belong? My personal dream has always been to live in Idaho, the land of my birth. I have been fortunate enough to marry a man who has been there and feels the same. The reality is that while I love the land, there not many people that I know to tie me there. There are plenty of dead people such as my mother and grandparents, but there are only a few family members there and out of those only a few I really even want to see. I have had enough of my family to last me awhile. There are a few friends that live up there that I wouldn't mind seeing. So the question is, am I willing to give up my people connections and financial security for a dream. Dreams, after all, are not always what we would have them be.

I tend to make only a few very close friends and I try to keep those friends as long as time and the relationship allows. I hate trying to start over and that really weighs in in my decision.

I had a dream two nights ago that I was was walking along in Minnesota and witnessing a beautiful sunset. I was crying because it was so incredible and yet I knew that the place I came from was just as magical. I continued to cry and walk saying to myself, "where do I belong". I used to think I knew and now I am not so sure. Perhaps there is a way to have both. Maybe we could continue to live here and get a summer home in Idaho? When Rhi finishes school, we might move or wait for retirement depending on how hard or easy it is for Jon to switch jobs at that point. Anyway, just in case, Jon has applied to some places in Coeur d' Alene and I have looked at their public schools. They have a Charter School the looks perfect for Rhi but there is a waiting list. Jon also has an offer from Omak Washington which is strangly very close to where my old friend from Az, Jessica, lives. It looks like a very "white" area and is several hours from CDA. Still, they have offered to fly both Jon and myself out to see it. I think at the very least we will want a few other offers to compare to the ones we already have. Wow. Big crossroads. Really big.

Long Week

I guess I should write in here sometime. Jon's mom has been out for a week. She leaves today so that combined with all of the baby stuff it just seems like things aren't back to "normal" yet.

Rachel is trying really hard to breast feed Max. It has been very frustrating for her. He will do well for awhile and then he quits. We have help but the hospital isn't very consistent with this so it has been hard. The lactation consultant is only there 8am-4pm so if you work all day and can't get in until later you are out of luck. Some of the nurses know how to help but not all so it's kind of the luck of the draw. The past few days he has had more apnea episodes so I think we need to back off for awhile. I worry that she will just want to quit at this point. It doesn't matter if it's breastfeeding or bottlefeeding, however, as the problem is still the same. He has trouble with the suck/swallow thing. We'll keep on trying. He was two weeks old this past Tuesday and is now up to 5lbs. He looks so much bigger!

We just made breakfast for Jon's mom and now we are taking her out to Whitewater. When we return it's off to the hospital to see Max before she goes. We have an end of the year soccer party at 6 and we have to drop Grandma off to take the shuttle to the airport. Busy busy.

Tomorrow I wanted to attend the funeral of a colleague's wife who died of cancer a few days ago. I met her at a dinner theater event at Christmas and we hit it off. She was a very bright and funny lady. She is going to be greatly missed but has struggled with her cancer for about a decade now. It is nice to think that she is finally free of that disease.

Monday I take Rhi to theater camp which will be 8am-4 weekdays for two weeks. I think she is going to love it. We have another baby shower on Monday thrown by Pete's family and then I think things will calm down for awhile. I hope.