Oregon

I spent the last 5 days visiting my family in Oregon. Got to spend quality time with my mom, sister, son, niece, nephews and their wives, and the most adorable 2 year old around. I only get to see them all once a year when I fly up there in late April or early May. It was especially nice to be with my son Andrew, for a few hours, who I had not seen since Christmas. I cried when he walked into the room and I cried again today when he hugged me goodbye at the airport. His life is now in Oregon.....it breaks my heart that he is not close by anymore, but it's nice to see him so happy up there.

The way it should be

I grew up sharing all kinds of fun times with my cousins. Holidays, picnics, hanging at the grandparents house. Those are very fond memories for me. It is so nice to see that my children share those same things. When my kids were very young they grew up with my sisters kids. Then we moved to Cali and now they are close to the cousins on my husbands side. It is so nice to see them do so many things together. Holidays, vacations and yes, hanging at the grandparents house. This photo is of my youngest and his cousin Allison. Not only are they related, they are very good friends. That's the way it should be.

Friday Night Wine

I work for a wonderful doctor doing front office stuff. On Friday's it has become almost a tradition to stop work as soon as the last patient leaves and pop the cork on a couple of bottle of wine. We sit around in our tiny "kitchen" laughing and sharing silly stories. It is so nice and refreshing to work somewhere that fun. I wish everyone had that.

Sixteen....again?

I have amazing children, butI am in the midst of a few years that I dread. Having a 16 year old in the house. Having been through this twice before should have given me a clue. Not wanting to sit in the same room as us, speaking in one word sentences, no hugs...you know all the classic signs. Why are they like this? It is amazing to me how one day they are you loving child eager to hug you, say "I love you", sit next to you and cuddle. Then suddenly, it seems like overnight, they don't want any of that. They think they know everything and you cannot tell them otherwise. "Why do you have to know where I'm going? Hello, I AM YOUR MOTHER and I love you!. The good news it that amazingly, one day (in what seems like overnight) they come back to you. Wanting to be in the same room, speaking in complex sentences, hugging you, and best of all...."I love you too." As much as I don't like this stage in life, I can look forward to that some day in the near future.

Back to Work

So today I went back to work after a very nice relaxing 12 days off. Went to the mountains to watch everyone else ski. (still in recovery mode from some knee surgery). I love the ladies I work with. I answer phones and schedule appointments for a fantastic Dr. She has a great staff of 8 women who laugh their way through the day. And don't forget the Friday night cocktail hour(s) after the last patient leaves. Oh, did I mention the lunches the pharmaceutical reps bring several times a week. It really is a great place to earn some extra income.

Oh, by the way...I got the story wrong yesterday. I guess what I really asked my kids is "why aren't twelve year olds called teenagers." Maybe that makes more sense.

We all say stupid things

My kids laugh as so many of the things I say. Several years ago, I was not really thinking and just blurted out "Why are 18 year old people called teenagers?" Let me tell you, that set all three of them off laughing to the point of rolling on the floor. I looked at them dumbfounded and then thought about what I had said. Who in their right mind would have asked that question out loud. Needless to say, over the years I have said so many things that simply astonish my three children. But I can turn the tides on them. My favorite of my son is when I mailed him some homemade chocolate chip cookies during his freshman year in college. When he received them, he called me and asked me, "When did you bake these Mom?" When I asked why, he replied, "because they are still warm." They had been sent two days earlier and were warm from sitting in the mail truck all day. The apple does not fall far from the tree.

Today I did not cry

Why is it that when one of my older two children leaves to go back to their home I get so sad? I want them to be independent of us, but there is a part of me that wants them both to be here all the time. My daughter left today to go back to her life after spending her vacation with us and a couple of extra days at home. We went shopping, talked, and just were together as a family. The only thing that could have been better would have been if the older son had been here too. I was a bit down this morning when I woke up and I think it was because I knew she would be leaving. Heading back to her adorable apartment and her nursing job. Now the house seems quieter and I'm sad. It has taken me years to accept them growing up and leaving home. Years to not cry EVERY time they do leave and say goodbye to me. I still do cry sometimes and they know that it is just part of their crazy mom. Today I did not cry...but I thought about it.

The Husband

I met my husband in 1980. He was this gorgeous young guy playing volleyball and driving a cute sportscar. Got my attention right away. We dated for 13 months and were married 18 months after we met. I was 21, he was 23. We bought our first house 10 months into our marriage and started our family 2 1/2 years later. He has been the sole provider for our family throughout our marriage. Supported my crazy ideas for "careers" after our children were mostly grown. He started his own industrial computer company 10 years ago and has turned it into a very successful business. He is well thought of by his peers, friends and family. I am indeed a very lucky, blessed woman to have this man in my life. Loving me for all my faults and values. I love him as much today as I did the day I married him.

The kids

Ok. so I thought I would expound on my children a bit. My daughter was born with a heart defect, Transposition of the Greater Vessels. Back in the day it was known as a blue baby. She was able to hold off the big open heart surgery until she was 10 months old. I am happy to say that she has been a very healthy happy child since. It was a very scary time in our lives, but we never treated her as anything other than a healthy child and because of that she never felt like she was different. It is actually amazing to me today that she has become a registered nurse working in a Childrens hospital in the cardiovascular ICU.

My older son was a challenging child with a temper that was out of control. I used to describe his looking like his head was going to explode off his head when he got really mad. I am happy to say that he did learn to control his anger, and I, how to see the signs of that anger. I now see a young man with a kind, gentle sole. He lives in Oregon now, going to school to become a paramedic. He will make a fantastic one someday soon. I miss him every day.

My youngest, a son, is a unique child to say the least. He pushes himself to be the best in all he does. His sense of humor always makes me question where in the world he came from because he certainly did not come from anyone in this family. He can anger me quickly and then turn on his smile and melt my heart. He is working very hard in his junior year of high school and has set a goal of getting accepted to MIT next year. (His grandfather's college). Not that he wants to go there, just to say he could.

So, there you have it. My three children. Each unique in their own way. Each independent people in this world who are not afraid to speak their mind or share their opinion. They are exactly what I had hoped each would be when they were born. I am so very proud of all of them!

A little of life so far.....

So, here I am, just over 4 months away from my 50th birthday and deciding to start writing a blog. Am I crazy or what? I ask my children that quite often. Is my life really that interesting that other people will want to read about it? Probably not, but at least I will be able to share some of my life stories with those that may indeed be interested.

I grew up mostly in Oregon with two wonderful parents and a great sister. I met my husband in 1980 and married him in February 1982. We started our family in October 1984 with the birth of our daughter, Kristin. She was born with a heart defect (something I will share more about some other time). Our first son, Andrew was born in March, 1988 and our youngest son was born in July, 1993. I thank God every day for three wonderful children that have grown into wonderful adults/almost adults.

So, there you know the basics of my life. Sometimes it's hard to think that I have been on this earth for one half of a century. Wow, that is almost hard to say. But looking forward I have to say at this point, I am not dreading the big 5 0. I am hoping to embrace it as just another year in my crazy life.