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| Because my nickname for Brian is Boo, I call this photo "Boo's Shoes". |
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| Ron's Salmon dinner (with some bones) and not one, but TWO vegetables! He took this photo and emailed it to Sarah. I also love the placemat. |
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| Brian emailed this photo to me to prove how he sleeps "so contained" when i am not there. This is the bed after three days of not making it. |
louie/Sarah and I went away for four days last week.
This trip was made possible because we're both retired and could take advantage of a last minute cancellation at one of our favorite places to vacation.
I retired April 4th, and louie/Sarah retired June 30th this year. She and I started our education careers the same year - 1979, in the same school. Sarah/louie was the Home Ec teacher. I was the Student Accounts Secretary. We became good friends when we started running together. When we started running together we realized that neither one of us was happily married. And a few years after our running counsel we both filed for divorce (my first one) around the same time. Like retirement, i got out of my marriage first before she got out of hers.
(Sarah/louie is smarter, but i do things more quickly. lol!)
Since 1979 we have gone through:
- three divorces - (two of mine, one of hers);
- the loss of three homes (two of mine, one of hers);
- a fight for child custody (hers);
- seven different jobs as we moved up the ladder (4 for her, 3 for me);
- quite a few 10K running races;
- a couple of sort of 'bad boys';
- many bottles of really crappy wine back in the 1980's, including one expensive French wine that cost $50 bottle, which we accidentally drank that was intended for my lawyer for doing my first divorce for free.
We don't normally go places for four days without our 'now' (and might i add, 'final') husbands.
And i think our husbands missed us, which is pretty cool.
Brian was quite happy to see me when he got home from work and then he said, "This is why i need you here.... look at my shoes!" ....And that is the photo above.
Oh yes, he went to work wearing two different shoes and didn't notice it until he got a hitch in his side because one shoe has a slightly higher heel. Thankfully he didn't have any administrative meetings!
I have blogged before about how my husband is not a fashion plate. Often he will come to me in the morning after he has dressed for work to ask me if his clothes look all right. Many times he mixes and matches seasonal clothes, i.e. wearing white linen in the dead of winter or a heavy sport coat in the heat of summer. I am no fashion plate myself, but at least i know not to do this! But i never had to tell him his shoes didn't match.
Sarah's husband Ron decided he was going to make himself a Major Dinner, which is not usual for him! Sarah does the cooking in her home, she's good at it, and she likes doing it. And though she left him one meal, there were still three more dinners.... So he went shopping.
What i liked most about Ron's dinner for himself was the two vegetables. Ron's loves sweets and desserts and i assumed that would be his dinner while Sarah was away! But he didn't follow Sarah's instructions about the bones and i guess he's lucky he didn't choke on one.
I loved that they sent us photos while we were away. Our husbands were bachelors for a long time and had never been married when they married us. So it shouldn't be surprising in this day that they did fend for themselves without us.
.... if you don't count Boo's shoes .
Notes to self:
Sunrise: 6:21 am
Sunset: 8:01 pm
High/low temp: 89/54
Longest run: Yay! 43 minutes without too much pain. Ran in new shoes.
What I'm looking forward to: first Seahawks game - Sept. 4th
What I'm procrastinating about: Starting back up at the YMCA
27 comments:
When i told Brian i needed to take a photo of his shoes since he was telling on himself i did promise not to put the photo on Facebook, but he said it was okay to put on my blog.
Today is the first day of school and i woke up at 9:00 am. Now i am starting to feel really retired.
I am tired of Facebook because of the ALS challenge stuff. Facebook so often gets redundant, i guess that's a great thing for fund raising though. However not so great when i take those stupid tests, as i did this morning on the Quick IQ test. I only got 120 so i didn't post it on FB because the person who posted it got 130. I noticed that one of her friends commented and had to mention that SHE got 132. It got me wondering if people only post the tests when they show how smart they are since obviously i didn't post mine. I guess i could keep taking it until i got a number i liked, but i might do worse - it's a timed test.
I also took the LOST test and scored only 6 right out of 15. I'm terrible!
And the last test i took again tells me i'm INTROVERTED. Okay, i got it.... i would rather be by myself than at a party.
I am going to go for a run now and hope my foot doesn't fall off. Then at 3:00 i'm going to walk to Steilacoom to the Farmer's Market for the good bread and organic apples. It's going to be 84 degrees today.
I hope everyone has a good first day of school! One of the little boys swimming in the pool last night when i locked up was so excited to be starting 6th grade. I forgot how little kids loved the first day of school!
Jo was right about most things she referenced above. We did have a wonderful time on our trip, and we do have great husbands, but I started in education (a different district) in 1977. We have experienced a lot together since 1979 and I believe we are both better people because of it all!
Not the first day for my (former) district, so retirement may not have hit me yet. Besides I was pretty dog-gone busy today.
1. Read the paper, did the soduko and crossword
2. Balanced my check book
3. Did my Jillian workout - barefoot because my skinned heel is still sore
4. Paid the September bills that have arrived
5. Completed a satisfaction interview with the retirement people.
6. Scheduled my mammogram
7. Followed up with my Dr.’s office (I was there yesterday) regarding an incorrectly noted diagnosis.
8. Washed, dried and folded two loads of laundry
9. Filled up my car with gas.
10. Prepped for dinner; we’re having:
Salmon patties (what a surprise – he grilled TWO small Coho), Fresh green beans, green salad and some fried left-over-mashed-potato-patty/cake things. My mom’s coming over so there will be G & Ts too
All in all, a great day
You worked in another district? Did i know this? I thought you subbed at Mann in 1978-79 and got hired for good in 1979-80 when i started.
shoot i know better than to scroll up on my ipad i wasn't finished....
Anyway, i read on Facebook the Dirty Jobs dude Mike Rowe's post about the whole ALS marketing campaign and i loved it because it is what i was kind of thinking already but couldn't say out loud. Y'all should go look for him on FAcebook. The post is a photo of him with his dog in the bathtub. Mike is pouting at the camera.
I started to walk to Steilacoom to the Farmers Market and realized i forgot water so i started back to get it. As i walked back i did the math and realized i would be walking for an hour and a half in the hottest part of the day, having started out at 2:45. SInce i already ran today i got out my bike with the basket instead and i biked to the library, locked it up, and walked the 20 minutes into the town.
I bought the fabulous homemade grain bread, 6 organic apples, little potatoes, and a yellow pepper. That was about what my basket could handle. And i did wear my bike helmet.
My heel is hurting but i am getting used to it doing that after using it. it goes away after awhile.
Sarah, don't you think Brian's shoes are hysterical? Should i be worried?
y'all should go look for the Quick IQ test on Facebook. It is timed. I hate those ones where you have to figure out what pattern doesn't match the others. I wish i knew which ones i got wrong, but if they told you then many people on FAcebook would get to link 160 IQ scores on their page.
I forgot to add that i also bought some homemade ravioli. The one we're having tonight is Madeira Mushroom. Hope it's good.
I am so ready to retire. Jo, that sounds like a perfect day! I haven't been to the Steilacoom farmers market but it sounds adorable. I love the idea of you riding your bike like a Parisian woman.
Brian's adorable, especially when his shoes don't match. That's a crackup! My boss at UCC did that one day. She came in wearing a brown shoe and a black one. Of course, it was a board meeting day, so she felt she had to go home and change. I would have left it and used it as a conversation starter.
My husband is going to have a few days to himself this weekend. I'm going to visit my grandma and parents. Ben has asked me to make him a huge batch of chicken and dumplings. It's an odd request for late summer, but whatever. He'll have the whole thing gone by the time I get back Sunday. It's his favorite. I make it especially for him because it's not gluten-free and lots of work. (I also imply to him it's more work than it is so he feels extra loved when I make it. I act like that lady from the old commercial, the one where she flings flour in her face and comes out of the kitchen looking exhausted. I wish I could remember what it was for!) I totally milk it.
How wonderful that you've had such a long friendship that has endured so many of life's challenges!
Thank goodness Angelina and Brad finally got married. It was SO hard for me to keep that secret for so long!
Hey Amanda and Beth.
Amanda, i am cracking up at how you make it sound so difficult making dumplings for your husband!
Damn iPad, HOnestly i am not trying to up my comment numbers, it keeps freezing up when i scroll up to re-read comments. I remember that commercial where the woman throws flour all over her and i forget what it was for. But i also remember Holly Hunter doing the same thing in the movie with Richard Dreyfuss where he pilots planes that fight fires. Damn, i just drew a blank on the name of that movie. It was one word title i think. Also starred Audrey Hepburn.
Anyway, good to see you both!
I watched the Seahawk pre-season game and we lost 31 to 41 but we weren't playing with our best dudes. But i like how BJ Daniels is looking!
He's the QB. Sort of looked like Russell Wilson to me.
Last night at about 2 in the morning i remembered the movie. When i wrote this i wanted to stay it was Awakenings, only i KNEW it wasn't - i know that movie starred Robin Williams and Robert DiNero. But i was close. I haven't googled it or IMBDd it yet to be certain, but i believe the movie is called Always. Starts with an A and was one word. I worry about my brain sometimes, but feel better when i get close.
Why does DiNero's name look wrong? Now i really have to go Google. Deniro. is that it?
Wow, yesterday i needed the fan on the patio while i was reading and sewing on my jean jacket. Today i need a heater!
I am going to post some photos of my New Bohemian Jean Jacket that i just did some more embroidery work on.
...oops i mean, on my next blog post. I'm still sewing on it but i've done a lot. Been trying to find a cool phrase to embroider. I think i have one from John Lennon: "Time you enjoy wasting is never wasted."
I think that sums up my life's ambition.
Plus it's not too long to embroider on a jean jacket.
The Dreyfus/Hunter movie was Always. Still watch it if it's on and still cry.
I'm the mismatched shoe wearer in our family. comes from buying a pair in every available color when I find a pair that I like. End up with navy/black combos much too often as a result of grabbing my shoes in the dark.
Bud's used to fending for himself since I'm on the road so much. I have a 6 week stretch coming up, but the plus is he REALLY appreciates me!
I participated in the ALS challenge, in my own way. I read Rowe's piece, and many others. I get why folks wouldn't want to participate. But so what! I don't agree with his 'cannibalization' conclusion. It's like sibling rivalry for diseases - and that's always pissed me off. I have never given to ALS before. I support several other charities (breast cancer awareness and research, for one- for obvious reasons, but others too) - I just have never really thought about ALS. There are a lot of these "orphan" diseases out there, and just because hoards of people don't die from them every year doesn't render them less worthy. So if I write a check to ALS this year, that's fine. I'll still continue to support my pet charities, too. The videos are getting lamer, but are also starting to wane, so this too shall pass. But I really can't stand the haters. Give. Don't give. Your choice - we (still) live in a free country. Just refrain from shaming the rest of us. Let us make our choices as well.
That's all I have to say about that.
And I love the image of you pedaling your groceries home - like a French woman!
pearl, one of the things that stuck with me from Mike Rowe was the fact that the increase in the fund raising from something like $1 million plus to a goal of $100 million might cause some chaos for that foundation not set up to manage that kind of money right away. Not that THAT is a bad thing. But it got me thinking of what would happen to Caring for Kids a local charity that i support and did all the bookkeeping for for year. I think it would in many ways tear their board apart (a board i used to participate on)... non-profit boards can be difficult...and it's such a windfall i'm not sure anyone can be ready for it.
I haven't seen the hater type of messages other than Mike Rowe's which i thought was very eloquent. I just had some trepidation with it and didn't really know why until i read what he wrote. I didn't think he shamed anyone.
Back to shoes: hahaha..... i wear a size 6 C or D width shoe (depending on the shoe) and it's difficult to find them so when i do, i also buy the same shoe in different colors. I have found myself putting on the navy and black in my closet, but always caught myself before walking out the door. (Same with boots.) But i have to crack up about two shoes that don't even lace up the same!
RE: my bike. I decided i am going to ride my bike more often. I have a nice route to the library where i don't have to be on a busy street. AND also to our grocery store.
Btw ... I loved that movie 'Always' and wanted a white dress like Dreyfuss' character buys her in the beginning of the movie . It was probably the most handsome Richard Dreyfuss ever looked. He was nearly ....slightly.... Not quite.... Almost Paul Newmanish in that movie. I but the guy who came after him was so dull in comparison for me that I had a hard time buying it and I think it hurt the movie.
I wonder why I can remember movie plots better than book plots?
New blog post by Wednesday for sure.... That is when Brian's band practices...
What do y'all want to to talk about? Ideas please!!!!
Rowe's piece was decently written. I'm more put off by the imperious "when I give, I do it in private" posts. Give. Don't give. But giving one way rather than another doesn't put anyone ahead. I did the ALS challenge. I post when I do the Komen run. So what? My prerogative. I don't put people down for their altruistic choices (or the lack thereof) - I expect no more in return.
My crush on Dreyfuss goes all the way back to Jaws and reached its apex with Mr. Holland's Opus. Unfortunately, I understand that in private he's a bit of an ass. And I saw him onstage live in a play and was not impressed.
I remember movies way better. I think it's because they engage more senses than merely reading. I always found that my retention was markedly better when I studied to Mozart, than if I studied in silence at the library. Personal quirk, supported by actual research.
I remember hearing about classical music and studying too. I sometimes like reading in total silence but often I will have background music. I wonder if I put on Pandora classical music station while reading if I would retain more of the plot.
I did love Dreyfuss in Jaws. He was so perfect in that role. But I wasn't crazy about him when he played The Goodbye Girl so much and I think he was nominated for an Oscar for that....maybe even for Jaws too? did he win? I think I need to Google Dreyfuss.
I hear you on the
Cont....
'Give, don't Give." Facebook is a great fundraising tool.
Btw...loved the Takei Facebook buttons we need post!
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