Dear Friends and Family,
Yep, she’s home! WOO-HOO!! Been to a movie; had Monica over; her room has EXPLODED!! ... She’s DEFINITELY home! Lol My baby went away to school this fall- sniff-, and she’s home for Winter Break.:) Of all the words of wisdom I’ve heard about ENS (Empty Nest Syndrome), the most accurate have been, “Don’t worry, Mom, ‘cuz they’re comin’ back... And they’re bringing more with ‘em!” ~Jeff Foxworthy... Her friends arrive next week!
In the last few months, John and I (and our dog and two cats) have adjusted to
life in our little house on the beach. Over a year ago now, John’s mom passed away, leaving him their family home. 1252 Jamestown Rd, Sequim, WA, 98382. Although it is extremely small, the house never felt cramped. We spent the summer making things cozy and lived-in, and we have everything pretty much where we want it. However once we get a couple of Elizabeth’s 6’5” friends in here for a week, I have a feeling “cozy” will quickly turn into “close”. Well, things are always a challenge, always changing...
JANUARY – Wrestling wraps up for the year... Thank goodness!! With all of the Machismo flying around, the football jocks come off as a bunch of tough guys, but now, I beg to differ. Wrestlers are a unique breed of athlete. They measure every morsel, they condition like crazy, and they are a very egotistic sort. After sweating and starving for 2 months, Elizabeth had enough. I think the extremism of the wrestling mindset is a little unhealthy. It would be much better to, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” - Michael Pollan
We’ve decided to move! Very exciting (I think). Sort of having that creepy,
yes/no/butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling. I hope this is a good thing for our
family. I KNOW it is going to be a lot of work!
FEBRUARY – We went to a Barn Dance (Yee-Haw!)
John turns 48 , goes to his Slot Tournament at the Seven Cedars Casino.
Still slowly cleaning, getting ready for the big move...
MARCH – By the middle of March we’ve got about two-thirds of the move done. I’m glad I’ve allowed plenty of time for this project. Moving can be a little more complicated than I thought it would be. The place that we are moving into is a bit smaller than where we were. It’s not unlike living on a boat; you can only have one of anything, one thing has to be put away before you put something else away... It has challenged us all to embrace a more minimalist lifestyle, but that’s good, right?
APRIL – Elizabeth’s Birthday – Sweet Sixteen!!
Randy Travis concert at Emerald Queen Casino.
April 15th is “Chick Day” at the local Farmers Coop... so the sign said. Two huge steel troughs swarm with tiny, fluffy bodies. The lady asked me what breed I wanted, and I shrugged my ignorance. So I got the five slowest. I brought them home in a shoe box- one sturdy yellow,
three shades of gray and one black. Elizabeth promptly fashioned a fabulous chick-condo from a moving box, with slits for windows and three separate rooms and varying degrees of warmth and light. (It was a beautiful creation!)
MAY – Elizabeth goes to Professional Bull-Riding Championship. Each year at Christmas, instead of giving “stuff”, I try to give “experiences”. For example, John always likes tickets to some athletic event, usually basketball at the U (ahem- no accounting for team loyalty, eh?) Elizabeth has seen the Nutcracker, the Ice Capades, a musical at the 5th Avenue, attended Summer Camp in Oregon, etc. Last year, she got 2 tix to the PBR...in her boots, hat and Carhart, she’s styling!
JUNE - We take advantage of the National Energy Incentive Program. We have all the windows replaced with brand new double-paned storm windows! Oooo...
JULY – Grandma and Dad have the usual joint Birthday Bash. Grandma is 102yrs old!!! (Hushed awe!)
John & I attend the 30th reunion of Sequim High School’s Class of 1980. Great people!
AUGUST – Elizabeth goes to Not-Back-to-School Camp, again.
I turn 39. A bunch of family and friends come to celebrate my birthday at a barbeque on the beach. As the sun set, a huge full moon rises. Perfect!
SEPTEMBER – Was a rough month... Sept 7th Elizabeth starts Job Corps in Yakima. (Okay, it’s only 7hrs away; it’s not THAT far, but still...) Check out her blog: http: //elizabethrose94.blogspot.com.
We come home to say goodbye to Grandma Platt. After a relatively brief term of ailment, Grandma passes away from this world. She is sorely missed.
COYOTE IN THE HEN HOUSE!!!!!!!! Four of my five hens... My babies!
OCTOBER- October is usually the month John and I travel, but this year, as new land owners, we had... Dunh, Dunh, Dunh, Dunh... Property taxes! Maybe next year...
We got to visit Elizabeth at Job Corps in White Swan! We camped out at Grandma Sauve’s old house in Moxee, where we made ourselves a fabulous steak dinner! Elizabeth and I listened to Susanne Collins on tape while carving pumpkins. She let me bring her creation home (They were not allowed to have them in there dorm room), so I had a piece of her to decorate the front porch. :-)
NOVEMBER – I discover why people DON’T remodel in the winter. November 2nd, our friend, Mark, comes over to help us with our laminate floor- 3 to 4 day project, right? By the end of the first day, he decides that we HAVE to remove a wall BEFORE putting in the new floor to eliminate the seams... Sigh! After 5 days of pounding and saw dust, Harry, Ivy, Kitty and I are getting pretty sick of the bedroom (the only room with a door). About a week and a half into it, we have a pretty unprecedented snow storm (i.e. Blizzard!!)
Pipes freeze and the roads are impossible. Mark gets back to work, and it’s now the 3rd week in November. Only a handful of days left, John has invited his whole family to Thanksgiving dinner-phew! Mark knocked off early Wednesday, giving us a few more hours to prepare. As he packed up his saw horse, we were following him out with a broom, hastily replacing furniture over the half-finished floor. By the time the guests arrive, things look deceptively put together and we are ready to party! Thankfully, half of John’s family are Jehovah’s Witness, and several of the others are feuding, so our guests in attendance number comfortably in the teens.
DECEMBER – After the snow storm, we resume the remodeling. Another week into it, though, I look around at the mess and realize that CHRISTMAS is coming soon!!! Elizabeth and three of her friends from Job Corps will be here in a matter of days and I have nowhere for any of them to SLEEP!! AAAHHHHH!!! We decided to put an end to Remodeling Phase One and pick up Phase Two after the holidays. Whew! We have got things back in order, now – the furniture is
replaced, the floors are swept and shiny... We are sooo ready to enjoy the beauty of the holidays!!
And speaking of... I think this year, we’ll mosey over to Victoria for Christmas Eve depending on the weather. The city lights are supposed to be charming this time of year! And, 0f course, we’ll keep an eye open for opportunities to provide random acts of kindness. T’is the season to remember that, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” –Winston Churchill. Here’s wishing everyone make a FULL life in the next year! Take advantage of every opportunity to make others smile… Making others happy is the spice of life!
Happy Holidays and Happy Giving!
Andrea, John, and Elizabethrose
