Update from Summer '08

So....we finally got over our nasty colds and had a pretty healthy summer. Howard did have a slight hiccup when he got dehydrated at work; this seems to happen every year and I should think he'd figure out by now that he needs to drink more fluids while he's working in the heat....but....anyway, everything is stable again and I am thankful.

Seems like we had a relatively quiet summer. I did work some more on that to-do list, though it's still not done, mostly because I keep adding to it.

We did make it over to Poulsbo, WA for a wonderful day with my dear friend, Nancy, and her girls. Yep....five Scandinavian gals in a cute Scandinavian town. 'Twas fun, even when I discovered that the Tahoe was dead when we were ready to leave. "Someone" left the headlights on. I still can't figure out how none of us heard the loud ring that the car makes when you shut off the engine but still have headlights on. I mean, I know we chat a lot, but you'd think one of us would have heard that irritating noise! Thank goodness for kind business owners in Poulsbo who are ready and willing to help!

The highlight of the summer for Lydia was going to the Jars of Clay concert at the Evergreen State Fair. It was especially fun because her best friend, Amy, came with. It poured down rain on us, and more than once we talked about just heading home....we were SO wet and miserable. Then we remembered how much we'd spent on those tickets and we persevered! We thoroughly enjoyed the concert, then sang all the way home.

And no one got sick. Amazing.

Bifocals

So....as of 5pm today, I'm seeing the world quite differently. Not perfectly, mind you, til I figure out how to tilt my head depending on my activity, but it's nice to have the ability to read books without having to take my glasses off.

I used to chuckle when I'd see people (like my mom or anyone else I considered OLD) hold things as far away as possible so they could see better. I realized about a year ago that I could read the paper or a book much more easily without my glasses....and forget about threading a needle....couldn't do it. *sigh* Did I say OLD??? I think what I really meant was ....ummmm....visually challenged.

My new glasses have progressive lenses, so I ought to be able to look up and see the world, then look immediately down and read writing just fine. There does seem to be a "sweet spot" where everything is clear, but I was told it may take a few weeks to get used to the new lenses. Anyway, it's good to have this done now.

The List

Two weeks ago, I felt overwhelmed with all the unfinished (and not-yet-started) projects here at home. I've a tendancy to look around and not know where to begin....and then never begin at all for want of a plan! I want it done correctly the first time, too, so I like to take on projects in some type of order.

My daughter suggested we write a "Mom To-Do List." I now have quite an exhaustive list.....25 items, including weeding/maintaining flower beds (each area was listed separately so I could feel a sense of accomplishment as I finish each one and cross it off the list!), hanging portraits down the hallway, organizing craft area, interior painting projects, etc. It's nice to have it all in writing so I can glance at it and pick a project every few days. AND I am proud to report that I've already crossed off 5 items, which means I'm 1/5 of the way through!! My goal is to have all items crossed off before the school year begins in September.

It still feels like a lot, but I'll take my hubby's advice....just tackle one at a time!

The new 'do

Her last haircut was almost a year ago. She did not WANT to get her hair done because she feared it would be too short to pull back in a pony tail. I think the stylist did a fine job of shaping up her very thick hair while leaving it plenty long to pull back.

Makes her look older, though. How did my baby suddenly get old enough to attend youth group??

around and around it goes....

I wonder if we'll ever be healthy again.

First our daughter got sick, then I got sick. She got better, I thought I was getting better, then got sicker. Pinkeye, sore throat, congestion, blech. I've been to the doctor twice, each time coming home with an antibiotic.

Then yesterday afternoon, the little punkin' told me her throat felt sore. Uh oh. Later I realized her face was flushed, so I took her temperature and, lo and behold, she had a low grade fever. By 8pm it was up to 102.4, and by the time she fell asleep it was 100.5. We went through many cold washrags on the forehead as well as popsicles, Tylenol and Adventures in Odyssey CDs.

This morning I let her sleep in. Her temp is now 100.2. She's been eating Jell-o, peaches, and drinking juice. She's listening to Adventures in Odyssey and seems comfortable.

I'm still dealing with a raw throat and I wonder how quickly Lydia might get over her virus. This seems to be the virus that's going around, though....stubborn, hard to shake, annoying. I did run to the store last night, though, to pick up a few things, and I bought some Vitamin C because I realized I'd been out for quite some time. I'm sure they'll do the trick. They're huge. (They're called "wafers" and are about the size of a half dollar. I guess they must have had legally blind people in mind when they designed them. I bought chewables, though, because I have difficulty swallowing large capsules.)

Through it all, my hubby has remained healthy. I am amazed at how the Lord protects him. His immune system is being supressed by his anti-rejection meds, and yet, he hardly ever gets sick. I am so thankful he has maintained his health.

So....the countdown now stands at five weeks. It couldn't go on much longer, right?

To make my daughter happy...

Here are our very cool cats, Bjorn and Karl. Yes, they are brothers. Our family is of Norwegian descent, we thought it only appropriate to have Norwegian names for the cats. And we did get them from the Overgaards, so they are used to Norwegian-ness.

I think we've had them almost seven years now. They're so much nicer than our former cat, Willy. That grumpy old man lived to be eleven years old, and he never really turned out to be the lap cat that I'd always wanted. These two have made up for that.

If you happen to know Abby Erickson's cat, Gilly, these two are his brothers.

My daughter, the aspiring thespian

Every parent is proud of their child's accomplishments. My daughter is fairly shy and tends to stay out of the limelight, so when her best friend asked her to come with to a Christmas musical audition last fall, no one was more surprised than me when she decided SHE wanted to try out for a part in the musical, too.


We are members of Word of Life, a Church of the Lutheran Brethren, and one of our sister churches is Hope at Silver Lake. Hope has an amazing minister of worship arts who has formed Silver Lake Theatre, a community theatre group that typically performs two plays per year.


After receiving a part in their Christmas musical, "Riffraff," my Lydia was hooked. She told me, "Mom, I'm going to audition for all of their plays!"


Tonight was the final performance of SLT's spring production, "The Chermenya Fiasco." Once again, Lydia had the time of her life. She thoroughly enjoys the practices; she loves meeting new friends; the teamwork has drawn this little group of people so closely together, it's awesome. She's met some lovely people and I'm beginning to see her come out of that little shell of hers.


This little girl of mine is turning into quite a sweet young lady. I don't think she has aspirations of heading to Broadway, but I do think she dreams of the SLT stage. She'll have the "end-of-the-play-blues" tomorrow. The cast party is next Saturday night, then after that, she'll periodically check the SLT website to see when the next auditions are....looks like Mom needs to keep her fall/winter social calendar free!