3 Calls In One Day

I have been telling you how things have slowed down for me in my massage business. WELL...I got THREE calls today for massage gigs. Two I can do the other is a conflict with one of the others. So that is good and will pay my student loan & groceries. Now if we can just get our 2 houses rented we will be back on track!

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Yea, it is a song by Green Day, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. You should look up the lyrics. Unfortunately, it is a bit fitting with all that has gone on this month and this year.

I have never disliked September. September is my birthday month and I have always looked forward to it. This year was different. I turned FORTY! There is always one milestone birthday that hits you hard, this was it for me.

This whole last year has been very trying on me. I won’t bore you with ALL the details but here are the highlights of the lowlights; I haven’t done anything with my life, I didn’t get a real degree/didn’t try hard enough in college (didn’t give it the old college try), didn’t give birth/adopt a Chinese baby, didn’t volunteer enough/didn’t donate enough, didn’t get organized, didn’t get the yard nice, didn’t plant a garden, didn’t compost, ate too much cookie doe/chocolate chips, didn’t save enough money/spent too much on stupid stuff, didn’t do enough for people, didn’t visit grandma enough or other family, been too selfish, didn’t recycle enough, etc.

So how did I make it through this year? With the love of my husband, my family and friends, thank you! My 40th birthday UN-surprise party at Pat’s BBQ was fabulous (of course). Joe with the help of Susie and Lulu planned the party then surprised me with surprise appearances of some friends but best of all Lil’ Jen and Lily.

I get so emotional thinking about how fun of a surprise it was and then how they got to visit with Diane too. Diane was so generous in sharing her kids and grandkids with me. She let me call them my own. She was the best ex-wife a wicked stepmother could have for that reason alone.

Also later in the week, Susie, Barry, his sister & hubby visiting from Germany, my sister and I saw Paul Thorn at Pat’s. He is awesome! Go to my FlickR to see videos. (I suck at taking them)

The other fun thing was that my Aunt Ellen mailed me a funny getting old/40th birthday card every day for two weeks. I felt like Harry Potter getting a daily owl.

It really has not been that bad I guess for the big picture aside from the deaths in the family, and the scares with Max and Kate. My bad year looks quite nice to others. I have so much to be grateful for, I just need to refocus on that. September will always be special to me but as I get older, they are less about me. Damn it, I am getting old and I guess growing up finally. I will be damned if I act mature!

Goodbye September, I don’t know if I will miss you but I know I learned a lot from you this time.

Loss

Forgive me father-blog for it has been three weeks since my last post. I have had internet/computer has had issues.

I haven't been ready to write either with all that has happened. We lost 2 family members on the same day. Our sister-in-law Tonya in Idaho lost a damn good fight to diabetes. We lost Diane with a blockage to the heart and suffered a heart attack, something we didn't even have a clue on our radar.
There was a lot of good and bad, many emotions and a lot of love in the past 3 weeks.
These last few months since May have been very emotional. There have been so many losses. I am not really ready to share all my feelings here just yet. I haven't had the words or just can not find them. I just know it hasn't been easy. I don't know how we didn't get to say to them so many things.

In remembrance of some love ones lost in September:
September 8, 2005 Anna Dillier (Joe’s sister)
September 13, 1966 Robert Allen Bennett (Diane’s baby brother, 7 days old)
September 13, 2008 Diane Bennett (Mom of our kids)
September 13, 2008 Tonya Dillier (our sister-in law, Gary’s wife)
September 22, 1998 Joyce Horne (Barry’s Mom)
September 22, 2000 Parley Love (my grandpa “Popa”)
September 22, 2002 Don Love (my uncle)
September 24, 2001 Richard John Pajares (Jamie's Dad)

We love and miss you all.

PS look at the comments on my previous post.

Weekend Update

Friday morning Stephani, Bailey, Lulu and BB Queen met at my house to walk over to the Farmer’s Market with Ozzy and me. All of the dogs were extremely well behaved! Ozzy did not try to kill any ankle biters. I later did errands and then went to NACVA HQ to give seated massages to most of the usual suspects.

Joe, Ozzy and I went to Fish Lake Friday night. Saturday am Joe and Keith worked on the deck. They have been pouring the footings. Keith has a plan and Joe jokes that you could land a helicopter on it when it is completed. Keith drove down with his sister Jackie. They stayed at Kevin’s cabin because Kim and her son Griffin came down Saturday after his game or practice. They went to Loa to get more supplies for the deck.

We went to Richfield with Charlie and Joyce. Saturday was their 39th wedding anniversary. The boys went golfing and girls went shopping. We went to dinner after. We ate entirely too much because we had Mexican food.

Sunday morning, we were woken up by Keith calling to invite us to breakfast. Kim and Jackie had made ham, bacon and pancakes. Kim added cinnamon and fresh peaches to the pancakes. I ate three, again entirely too much food.
While Keith worked on the deck, Joe worked on the boat. Ozzy and I went on 3 longer walks throughout the day. Kim, Griffin and Jackie came by and enjoyed the sun with me on our cement part of the deck. They went home and Joe & Charlie went fishing. Since Joe got back late after dark we decided to spend the night and get up at 6 this morning. There were not as many deer around the cabin but as we drove out there were plenty deer. A lot of fawns!

As we drove through Sigard, we got caught behind a school bus. They stop at EVERY little kid’s house! I remarked on how in the city when I waited for the bus, there were at least 20 kids that converged on our stop. Maybe it is because in the winter it is so cold.

About the time we went through Santaquin and Payson, the SIRUIS dj commented about Gary Coleman running over some guy in a Payson bowling alley. The poor guy moved in the middle of poe-dunk nowhere to get away from people folling him around with cameras. He cannot even go bowling in peace.

When we got home our sweet neighbor across the street was doing yard work. I saw our garbage can was put out for us. I knew it was John. I yelled over to thank him and he told us he did another couple of favors too. Saturday he came over to bring us corn and tomatoes. Our garage door was open, apparently from when we left about 7 pm until whenever he came by on Saturday. He put the veggies in the garage and shut our door. Nothing was missing or out of place. They could have stolen at least one of the 2 cars with keys in the ignitions. Also on the front porch was a bag full of miscellaneous produce. I have 3 other neighbors who most likely gave it to us. Yep, we are lucky to have such a great neighbors and live in a great neighborhood!

An AfFAIR (fiasco) To Remember

Being the dork I am I waited until the very last day (this last Saturday) and the very last couple of hours to take my photo entries to the Utah State Fair. It was in part due to that I had been working the days and times when you could enter.

After I worked the USANA conference, I went to the fairgrounds at about 3:15 pm. Standing in line, I had a conversation with the two people ahead of me about how the mounting should be…apparently I can't read.
“1. All entries must be permanently affixed to a mount board that is approximately 1/8" to 1/4" thick. The mount board can be a standard matte or foam core NO wood, masonite or cardboard NO framed, glass covered, or shrink-wrapped entries except as allowed in the Fine Art Photography PH6 NO hanging devices or other protrusions on the back or front of prints Front (over) "mattes" and edges/borders that are an integral part of prints are acceptable.” What I read…(besides, blah-blah-blah, the mattes you chose should be fine, just glue it.)

Therefore, I drove madly to the Wal-Mart on 13th South. Um, that is the biggest Wally World I have been in AND one of the scariest! I bought several frames, double sided tape and a water. Then I drove back to the fairgrounds. I threw the 3 prints into frames, Mickey Mouse style. I hope the one stays put. Meanwhile when I am doing this I am cursing myself for waiting this long and doubting myself and the quality of work for Fine Art category.

I wait in line again, I get up to the guy who is in charge of accepting the entries for the Fine Art category. I told the story to him that I had to run and buy the frames.
Him – You know that the Fine Art category is juried now? (I have no idea what the hell he is talking about, does that mean I am kicked out if they think it sucks? Btw, I still don’t know)
Me – uh, ok I guess, I am stuck with it now
We do all of the paperwork. I look down at my entry paper what he wrote. Lot 1 for all three prints.
Me- I meant for each of these to be in different categories.
Him – yes, Fine Art category there are no lots (divisions like action, pets, children, landscapes, etc (my heart sank)
You see the plan was that I was going to win 1st place in all lots (this was before all of the self-doubt, etc)Me – oh, I see
Him – oh, do you have your digital files of these?
Me – no! I was not planning on being in the Fine Arts division. My heart sinking again.
Him – we need it for all entries
Me - Can I email it?
Him – no, I don’t do email
Me - Can I bring it tomorrow or the next day or next? Sometime, anytime?
Him – do you know where the Wal-Mart in Taylorsville is?
So I took it to his house on Sunday. At least I hope he got it.I will go to the fair next week to see how it compares with it all or if they even hung my photos. I really would have made some different choices had I known. Like I would have skipped the “Cowboy Up” print.
Well, I guess I will give it a shot next year. It is not like I won't have another 1000 pictures I have taken in 2009 to choose from! They never called me to tell me to get this crap out of here so I guess it is ok. We shall see!

Patriotic but Lazy

Today I finally took down the 4th and 24th of July decorations.

There really is a reason for it though. First, there was the main holidays already stated, and then there were the Olympics. I felt it my duty, my honor and privilege to leave them up for that, well then I kept forgetting to take them down. But THEN came Labor Day. How American is THAT? And what about the Democratic and Republican conventions?

I took down the ribbons and banner today. From my perch on the couch, I can see the front door, which is donning the lit American flag. Perhaps I will take it down and sing Taps in my head.

I might just put the flag back up for Patriot Day, September 11th. Or should I just enjoy it from the couch? I bet I could leave it up until we vote in November!