*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

 

                          
 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge - if print is too small, you need glasses! ☺)

dear elder wilding, ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS! It's really happening!

I went back through the pictures of the day you left (and some the night before) and it wasn't as painful to look at them anymore because I know you going to be back in my arms very soon getting an even tighter hug than the day you left (if that is even possible!).  That airport goodbye was tough!  Lots of changes since you left as well.  Kilo is no longer with us -sad to say, but Mr. Cat is still the same as ever...aloof!  hah   I wonder what his reaction will be when he sees you again.  He will probably once again jump in your suitcase only this time he will be wondering what all the strange smells are. 

I can't believe the next time I am at the airport, it will be to bring you HOME!  SO EXCITING!

dear paint bid, whaaaaaaaaaaat!  I had no idea it was going to be so expensive to have a pro come in and paint.  But, I guess that is the way it is.  We have been trying to decide what to do.  The parts we want to hire out are really too difficult and dangerous for us to do without the proper equipment.  We have NEVER hired out painters with the exception of our new construction while building the house.  It really needs to be done and so we have been getting several bids and now just have to make a decision what to do.  AND what color!  THAT is pressure because I won't be doing this again for another 20 years most likely!  At least the entry way and family room.

dear list of things to do, you just keep getting longer.  I work from morning til' night but my to do list just seems to multiply instead of subtract!  Trying to do all that I normally do as well as fit in a huge list of things that must be done before Taylor returns has been slightly overwhelming. Why oh why did I put all this off until now?  Seriously.  I still have to paint, sew valances, find a chair, get the basement ready (not my idea of fun!), de-junk my crafts and organize the laundry room better, decide what to do with playroom as far as leave it as a playroom or turn it into a different room, all of the upstairs rooms need a good cleaning, print off and organize his mission pictures, find another binder for the letters, order banners, redo pictures in mudroom, and on and on and on.  I bit off more than I can chew and I am going to have to prioritize because I'm not superwoman and I'm not going to be able to get it all done.  I will keep trying, but there is no way it's possible.  Now if I had all girls to help me, maybe!   

I have been tossing a lot of things to the DI, but there are some things I have a hard time letting go, like this FHE board that I have had hanging up for years.  I love it and it brings back so many memories that I just can't part with it - not just yet anyway.  It's no longer hanging up, but I am sending it to the basement in storage until I decide what use I can make of it.  I know no one else will ever want it and so I will most likely end up just tossing it, but for this moment, I still have it.  I am WAY too sentimental!  I have been getting a lot of things done, but it doesn't even feel like I've made a dent in all I need to do.  It felt good to get the pantry organized and done, but then I look at my computer room and want to cry because it will take so long.  

dear run, I ran out west by the Bird Refuge and I saw two snakes that were alive and 17 that were road kill.  I'm sure there were at least twice that number in road kill.  The ones that I saw alive were babies.  What are baby snakes doing out in October?  All I know is if I saw that many on the road in a six mile out and back loop, there must be hundreds (no thousands!) in those fields I was running past! Kind of a creepy thought!

dear manic manican, looks like you are getting an early start on Halloween!

dear new hawaii state record, my son Skyler now holds you!  Wow!  No surprise though when you look at this insanely large creature that he dove down 25 feet to capture with his gloved hands and then bear hugged it on the way up!  It weighed in at 6 lb. 8 oz.!  I think he needs to mount him and hang him on the wall! (at least at Halloween!)  He put him in the freezer and ate him and said it wasn't that great.  Probably because it's so old.  He thinks it's around 25-30 years old.  He found out he could've taken it to a Chinese restaurant and made $500 on it.  I'm glad he got the record instead of the money.  It will mean more.

Since I posted it on Facebook, he is becoming quite a folk hero around here.  He has so many people in awe of it and even some of the little kids around here are thinking it's the coolest thing ever.  At least one that we know of now has this picture on his phone as his screen saver.  That made me laugh.
Check out the state record link HERE.

dear box elder bug infestation, GO AWAY!  We always have a lot of you critters in the fall, but this year I think is the worst it's ever been.  We are not sure why you seem to think we have a Vacancy sign posted somewhere because there is no room at this Inn!  So stop coming in!  

It's bad enough having you outside EVERYWHERE, but when you just come in and make yourself at home, that is when I get a little "bugged".  Okay, A LOT "bugged"!  We have even sprayed you to your death several times but to no avail.  You still keep returning from the dead!   You know it's bad when I am actually looking forward to the first freeze just so you will all chill out and DIE!  I am usually not one to have a death wish on anyone or anything, but I must say that is not the case with you little buggers!  The picture is of Dave on our bedroom deck with our vacuum sucking up as many of you as he could.  That didn't seem to even make a dent in your population.  It's crazy!

dear sistas!  It was so fun to get together for our monthly lunch.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it this time, but luckily I was able to save all my Ogden errands for this day and so I could get away for a bit.  Things have been pretty hectic on the home front trying to get everything done that I want to in order to be ready for Taylor's return.  But, I also missed you all and needed a break!  I was so happy to see that so many showed up!  I wasn't sure anyone was going to go this time.  But it was a lot of fun chatting and catching up.   I think we all need it.  It seems like everyone is going through a hard time right now.  Dawn's daddy has been put on hospice and she is pretty much with him round the clock wearing herself out, Robin is having family struggles, Kathy's hub has been home in bed with a bad back, Davaleen's brother was bit by a brown recluse spider and is in the hospital with a bad prognosis, Patti didn't say what is happening with her right now, she is pretty quiet that way, but I'm sure there is something.  It's interesting to see that the quote that says, "Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle." is really so true.  That is why it is so good to have a support network like these women!  They are all such wonderful people and it's so great to know you have a shoulder if you ever need one. 

I had a little fun with Dawn's camera while she went to the restroom.  She left her camera just sitting on the table and I couldn't resist!  haha ↓ 

(Thanks Dawn for letting me steal these pix from your blog without permission!) ☺

I had to go to Layton for one of my errands and so I used a coupon I had and bought these scrumptious little particles of delish-ishness!  Mmm.... I got a free hot one too!  I didn't find what I needed in Layton (a new chair) and so these made it worth it!  How I love these things!

dear mckay, it was fun to see you out at practice (not the real practice but just pre-game) when I went to the school to drop off rolls for your team dinner and then to the bleachers to lay down blankets to save seats for the game tomorrow.  I'm not sure how you boys concentrate though with that music blasting so loud from the press box!

dear friday night lights, this will be the last Friday night of the regular season.  The next two games are on a Wednesday and a Thursday.  Tonight we played Sky View and you guys really held your own and played well for the most part.  But in the end, they took over and won it.  It was teacher appreciation night and McKay honored his teacher Mr. Constantineau (probably slaughtered the spelling!) and the teachers had to wear the jersey of who honored them.  That teacher was chosen by two players and so he wore one jersey and pinned McKay's to his back like a cape.  I wasn't fast enough to get a picture of it when he was on the field and so that is the best I could do.  (top left)  McKay was on the very end for the National Anthem which made it convenient to take his picture. 

It is always so fun to watch McKay and his teammates play. Frustrating at times, but still fun.  There is only one more home game.  That will be Senior Night. The season is going by way too fast!  Taylor will be home for that game!

dear spooktacular 5K, I wasn't really looking forward to running you because my runs this week haven't been the best and I have felt like I had to force myself out the door on the two days this week that I ran.  But, I love Halloween and dressing up and so that made it fun.  I dressed up like a cat.  A cat with a purple sparkly tutu.   

I haven't run this race in a few years, but I have never liked the course.  It's one of the hardest 5K courses I have run.  Lots of hills and dirt roads, but I was up to the challenge. Dave took me and Jen up to Mantua on his way to work.  It was unusually warm for an early October morning in Mantua. 

The race actually felt good!  I don't usually say that about a run, but I was hoping to see if I had gotten my mojo back and I think I did!  I didn't hate it.  I thought I would.  I actually kind of enjoyed it.  It felt good to really push it.  There was a lady there that I knew was in my age group and so I really pushed it to stay ahead of her.  On mile 2, when I turned a corner, I looked back and saw that she was only about 1/8 of a mile behind me.  I put on the gas and really pushed it that last mile.  My phone app said I was running a 7:30 minute mile at one point.  That was cool.  That surely is a rarity! And it probably only lasted for about 30 seconds, but it was fun hearing my phone app tell me that was my speed. ☺ I ended up winning 1st place in my age division and I was very happy with that!  Especially since those that won first got a medal this year!  A cute medal too!  I love it!  I was more happy that I felt good during and after the race. I needed that!  My time was 26:51.  Not a PR by any means, but not too bad I guess for the course.  I came in 19th overall (men included) and not sure what overall woman place I was, but Marci was 16th and so that made me really happy even though she was pushing a stroller!  But even still, being even remotely close to her (stroller or not) was a boost of confidence I needed!  I took first in all the women age divisions with the exception of two.  They were spaced in 10 year increments - six divisions in all.  I need to go see what my best time was on this course and see how it compares.  I chatted with Marci (she got first in her AD too) for a bit while I waited for Jen.  Jen ran the entire race in her pirate costume with HUGE loop earrings!  She lost one on the course but some lady found it and gave it to her.  I realized I was missing my tail too, but no one had seen it.  Found out later that when I took off my long sleeve shirt, my tail was attached to it and so it also went home with Dave.  Oh well. 

 Sorry for the duplicates

After the awards, Jen and I ran home another six miles.  In. Our. Costumes.  We ran down Sardine canyon (not even a single honk!) and then took our favorite trail detour because the leave colors have FINALLY started to burst!  It was gorgeous!!!  Check out the graffiti we saw as we approached the trial.  THAT is how all graffiti should be.  It was AMAZING!  We are not sure how they did the Frankenstein without a ladder though, but it was cool! (click to enlarge)

There was a man with a dog on the trail.  The dog didn't seem to like me too much.  Must have thought I was a real cat!  lol   I also biffed it really well!  I tripped over a root and went down fast (but in slow motion!) and hard!  OUCH!  I just lay there until Jen realized I wasn't behind her!  She came back and it took me a minute to get up.  My knee was hurting and my arm and shoulder.  I was scuffed up nicely, but okay to keep running.  It was a little painful in the knee, but I was just SO grateful I didn't break anything! 

Oh man, the leaves and the plants were so gorgeous today!  Just stunning!  I'm so glad we ran the trail even if I did try and kill myself on the way down.

A better view of the graffiti....

How cool is that?

Mr. Cat was NOT impressed I dressed up like him. ☺

dear quotes, sometimes I find one that really speaks to me.  Actually, I find a lot of those!  I love quotes!  But this one ↓ was this week's star.  I believe it is so true!  We always have the power to change, no matter what it is that needs changing.  Running has definitely taught me that.