Time Flies...And So It Has! Let's Play Catch-Up

This past 18 months or so have been cRaZy! In April last year we purchased a squat of dirt and began the process of building a soda shop for the Quench-It franchise we bought into. Well, weeks shy of 18 months later and we are not quite done....

In that same time frame, I worked a ta office building with 44 individual suites where I managed the building for those tenants, ran the phones and mail, and basically covered whatever the issue was--from printed connections, to toilet clogs to a construction caused fire sprinkler emergency that left the basement flooded TWICE! Of and 20 more office suites were being added as I finished my reign there.

I learned a GREAT deal, made many new friends with the tenants and discovered there really wasn't much I couldn't do if I thought hard enough about it. But I haven't been sad to be away. That said, since our building WASN'T finished like we thought--or at least in the time frame we were hoping for--I will be subbing for the girl I trained to take my place the day after tomorrow. I think I can face that as I know it is for one day only.

Genius Golfer has been a ROCKSTAR as far as figuring out what, how, and where to adjust things for the building. He has done more manual labor than many of the subcontractors, I am sure!  He is such a stud!! I certainly wouldn't be doing this with out his incredible support and help and knowledge PLUS his willingness to just figure it out himself. Once we are open and it is passed to me, I hope I can do it as well as he has been these past many months!

The other BIG deal that has happened it that my dad died at the end of January. He got Covid and suddenly couldn't breathe on January 14th--just a day after fixing the neighbor's driveway gate for her and that day after their 58th wedding anniversary. Because of his kidney transplant 10 years ago now, he fell into that immunocompromised group. Seeing as he and mom didn't really seem to believe Covid was real (thanks, Fox News!), they refused to be vaccinated and therefore had no extra protection. He was in the hospital about 2 weeks with a steady and foreseeable decline--and died on Sunday, January 30th. I spoke with him Friday, the 28th for exactly 8 minutes and said all the things that mattered. I could tell he knew it was the last time he'd speak with me on earth. That was a harder day actually that the call that he was gone.

My sisters was there with my mom--but because of Covid restrictions neither could go in with him at the hospital. Mom and Sister had planned the funeral while I had taken the role of spokesman for the family as I shared each day of his illness and passing with the friends he had on Facebook. The daily updates were answered with SO MUCH love and concern for him and for each of us. Dad and mom agreed they felt prayers holding them up and the comfort from those prayers and love was tactile.

The Girl and I spoke at the funeral on Feb. 8th. The Gilroy chapel was full and the cultural hall was nearly 3/4th the way full too. So many people came to say goodbye to dad and to share the impact he made in their lives. It was astounding to hear some of the things I hadn't even a clue about from the people that felt Dad's influence. It was the most exhausting day since our wedding--but it was so filled with love. I wouldn't have been anywhere else.

It has been an adjustment without him though. Every once in a while I still have a question or thought pop into my mind and think "I should call Dad and tell him..." before I remember that I can't. But the memories are comforting and I'll always have those.

And today, Queen Elizabeth II was laid to rest after dying 10 days ago at the age of 96. While I realize that I have no connection to her--I'm not a Brit, I am not a royalist or a monarchist, I certainly have LOVED the UK and quite rightly, I believe, think of the Queen as one of the last true public servants. She committed herself to serve her country for the whole of her life--at the cost of quite a bit of "normal" life--and did just that without ever giving her view as policy or demand her way as her ancestors might have in previous reigns. 

I've thought a lot about how in America we cannot even get elected officials to serve faithfully and dutifully without seeking personal gain and power mongering. Yet, this little lady was never in the original line to be a monarch and yet, when things played out that she ended up Queen, she really did the best she know how and kept doing it to the very end.

She was a calm, even, steady presence who knew she was the "face" of England, the UK, and the Commonwealth and just kept on keeping on. Our political leaders and elected officials could learn many things from her life of dutiful service and sacrifice. Here's hoping they do.

Thoughts like a Waterfall

It's been nearly 2 years since I posted anything on here, but that isn't because I haven't had anything I wanted to say.  Mostly it was just because I felt too stressed by work, worried about family, and discouraged by life in the real world to sit and write out my inner musings. But I am trying to change that.  I want to purge my mind of the things that I worry about , the topics the world keeps pounding into me and the stresses of a job I'm not in love with but coworkers I really enjoy.

The world is a crazy place.  We have been dealing with a global pandemic since March 13, 2020. Everywhere I have heard about those who are isolating, staying home to stay safe, and all the missing out of things.  I also heard of so many that were catching up, making things right at home, reconnecting as families, and rediscovering their divine relationships.  I envy that a bit.  My job was deemed "essential" and therefore nothing has really changed but my work life has only gotten busier, and more accommodating to our customers, more tasks assigned, and only the same old group to do it all. I feel I have missed out of the reconnecting with my soul that many people have experienced.  My soul is TIRED. My soul feels starved some days. My soul feels defeated.

My family is financially fine.  Everyone of our Core 4 Family were deemed "essential" in March.  But we were essential in three different locations. I'm grateful that things financially are OK, and I'm grateful that the kids' jobs were safe and they are healthy and doing just fine. But I have envious feelings toward those that could Skype and touch base each week or multiple times a week. Or even have everyone over on Sundays to have "at home church". When I'm not at work, I feel like I am treading water as fast as I can to keep my head above water.  My mind is on overdrive and my emotions are spent.

We haven't had congregational worship meetings since the end of February. I miss the people I see there, even neighbors that I would normally see in the neighbor hood, but everyone else is "bunkering down", it seems. I miss the communal worship and singing together hymns of praise and worship. I especially miss the regular and thorough study I did weekly as I prepared to teach Sunday School. Doing it at home to keep up with weekly reading assignments is a very different way to study the scriptures. I miss the effort-filled preparation and the in persona sharing face to face and heart to heart. I miss my class members who have always had a larger breadth and depth of knowledge and experience they would graciously share each week. I miss the interplay with the Spirit as we shared our testimonies of the Savior.

I'm discouraged by the rantings of the media and the political leaders who seem only motivated to scare people and create a frenzy of terror and anxiety. I feel like I want to drop off the face of social media, but there I have tried to post something positive and uplifting each day--for myself as well as for others. It isn't always genuine as I struggle to see the positive, but I do it anyway as a "fake it 'til you make it" syndrome. Here is where I really feel I cannot do much to help the larger world.  The professional media outlets from whom we have been able to learn unbiased information are gone. Now you tune in to hear what they want you to hear and then they ram it over and over down your throat. It is a world of confrontation and dissonance. It's uncomfortable and unsettling. But that is the choice we have. You can select hard right or hard left, and they will determine what you should know from their point of view. Gone are the days of unbiased journalism. Reporters all are working an angle and the networks just reinforce that angle all day long. It's exhausting.

Maybe someday things will be normal again. But I don't think that way things were in January will ever be considered normal.  Whatever we end up with after this craziness will be the new normal, until the next big thing comes along.

I just want things to be simple and good and happy and right. I do not think they will be ever again. Or at least not until Jesus comes back.  I vote for that. I vote for Jesus to come, and the sooner the better.

Let's Do the Time Warp, Again

This is the longest I have stayed away from posting.  I'm not really sorry, to be honest.  I have needed the break mentally, and scheduling-wise.  But I didn't mean for it to be quite so long.

Since we last chatted, I have had a new title given me at work.  I've gone from the Customer service rep to now the Administrative Assistant/Office Manager.  I've worked more hours in the last 6-8 weeks than I have in all my weeks of work ever.  I'm physically exhausted at the end of the day and my brain is even more tired.  If that's possible.

Since we last chatted, The Girl has been on her mission--still--but she's now been gone for 6 months.  It has been the longest and the fastest six months ever.  But she's doing great.  So I can live with that.

Since we last chatted, The Boy has decided he wants to go to Dixie State for a year before serving a  mission himself.  He wants to be were there is warmer weather--though he has never lived through a July or August in St. George Utah yet.  He wants to golf year round, so there you go. Dixie it is for him.

Since we last chatted, the men in my house are getting weirder by the minute.  Genius Golfer has decided to grow hi hair until The Girl gets home.  The gal that cuts my hair called his do a "skullet" from my description of it.  Spot on, I'd say.

 

 Ewww.


Since we last chatted, The Boy has a good buggy names, Collin, who has decided to spend his Spring Break with The boy on a California trip to see grandparents, and fix an oil leaking seal on his truck.   Good thing they can entertain themselves.  Watch out, Grandma and Grandpa.

Since we last chatted, Genius Golfer had a second EGD done.  This one was to confirm what the first one in Janaaury found and allegedly  fixed.  This time, however, GG came out of the anesthesia with euphoric calls of "I LOVE GOLF!!!"  Yep, I know where I rank.

And since we last chatted, I have discovered I needed more glasses than the cheaper Dollar Store Reader/Cheaters.  I have full fledged glasses now.  Worse yet, they are progressive bifocals. I'm still getting sued to them, and I have a hard time driving with them, but it could be worse.  Right?  Please tell em it could be worse.

 That should keep you caught up for a while.  I'm hoping to get back into the groove of writing regularly.  But I don't want to make any promises.

The Almost Forgotten Updates

Well, I have been teasing you all along, haven't I? There have been some "I'll keep you posted" entries here that I have failed to uphold. So, today's post is the remedy for all the questions keeping you awake at night. Yeah, right. Anyhoooo....

Dear Friend Taffy reminded me that I dangled my impending JURY DUTY assignment out there for you and then never told you all what happened. So here you go, Taffy and others who care: NADA. (That would be nothing to you and me, gringo.) I was asked to call after 2 PM on the business day before I was scheduled to appear (which would have been Friday afternoon for the call and Monday morning early for the appearance) and the session for the jurors was canceled. In fact the recording this time even said, "Thank you for your service in the jury pool. Your assignment is now over. We look forward to working with you again in the future" or something equally inane. For what it's worth, you want to know why our judicial system is screwed up and back logged? My guess is that juries keep getting canceled. Not that I was in a BIG hurry to sit on one, but you know what I mean. Someone would surely love to be on the jury. It just wasn't me. Besides, my "red neck qualities" have a tendency to appear when lawyers are involved. I have a genetic predisposition to my own redneckedness, that's the truth.

Another comment that was made several times in response to my entry about being worried about the youth of my nephew and his little fiance, made me think. I do know that many of you were far more mature and prepared for marriage at the very youthful ages of 18, or 19, or 20. I am still amazed by you stalwart women. At the turn of my twenties I was a total moron. I was barely more than an moron at almost 23. Luckily Genius Golfer was very patient and loving in our early married life and 16 1/2 years later he is still patient and loving and kind when I behave like a moron still.

Sadly, I missed meeting my new BFF, author Shannon Hale, even though Dear Friend Peggy reminded me of Ms. Hale's SLC launch party of her new book Rapunzel's Revenge in time to make it up to The King's English bookstore. We had soccer games that day and I never made it. Bummer, since Peggy reassured, that Shannon was as delightful in person as she seems. Maybe I can still talk my book club into reading her Austenland this year.

Thanks to so many of you who reassured me that my estranged friend is the one who lost out. It was heart warming to read from so many of you that you appreciate me. (The checks are in the mail, by the way.) I have always thought I have the best friends ever. you guys are great!

And finally, I am very glad to know that I am not alone in my occasional nostalgic moments. I love that we can commiserate some of the ugly facts we share due to all having grown up in the 70s and 80s. I'm also glad that so many of you understand that while there are things about the "good 'old days" that I miss, I wouldn't go back to relive it. And I'm glad, too, that someday my kids might believe they had a good time "back in the day" too. Payback could be worth it, huh?

So, there you go. A few loose ends now tied up. Now, I can hear the Gas 'n Sip calling my name and the errand list is still on hold, so off I go. Thanks to each of you for the lovely, kind, and hilarious comments you make to me. It makes me just enjoy my writing project here all the more. Have a fantabulous day today, friends. I'll look for something of value to write about tomorrow. Wish me luck!