So...

Blogging has been on my list of "meh" things lately.

Dad died on Friday, October 28, 2011, after two weeks of miracles and a massive stroke that seeped into his brain stem and left him unable to communicate.

His viewing was on November 1 with the funeral and burial on November 2, 2011. Mark Leifson participated in the army services. It was very stirring, as usual.

Thanksgiving stunk. The food was gross and we were happy when everyone left so there was nothing but quiet. And even then Mom and I hardly talked to each other. There wasn't much to say and we felt a gaping hole in the house. Not pleasant.

Christmas was okay. Except for certain people not being able to get along with certain other people. It's a problem we have around these here parts. It gets old - really fast.

New Year's came and went. Mom and I partied with the Leifsons and Colleen. It would have been better if Shauna had been able to find a flight from Virginia for less than her firstborn and all her limbs. Lame. It's awful that the airlines can keep people from being with loved ones for the holidays because they "need" to make a profit. It's right up there with my feelings about the gas companies. Gr.

My 35th birthday was this year. I wasn't too happy about it. Mom, Alex, and Aunt Nadine all tried to make a special evening of it the night before. On the day of, Mom and I both had a mini breakdown over Dad. So, pretty much, the birthday sucked. It's just not the same when your dad doesn't sing happy birthday to you early in the morning and then say it's too bad you're a year older, but not wiser, too.

Valentine's Day was, well, it IS stupid. This is the lamest holiday of the year, and not just because I'm single. It aggravates me that we only focus one day on telling people we love them in special ways. If we knew what was good for us, we'd do it every day. Just sayin'.

Dad's birthday was February 20th. He would have been 71 years young. Mom's friends (the Holbrooks) came up from Texas and we spent the day with them celebrating Dad's birthday with balloons at the cemetery, lunch at Tucano's (his favorite restaurant), and chocolate chocolate cake from Costco (also one of Dad's favorites). Amazingly, they put his headstone in that very day. We were lucky to witness that with only 40 minutes notice. And I was lucky enough to have the day off at the insistence of Holbrooks so I could hang with them and celebrate Dad. It was a good day.

And now, well, life goes on, dangit. :) Actually, it's not much different than usual. School still fills up my time, I'm still over the Beehives in Young Women's and loving it (although I think I stress way too much about it), Bear is still sleeping 16 of 24 hours in the day, and Mom is going gung-ho on genealogy. I've started indexing again and can't figure out why I ever quit. I love doing it! If I didn't have a job, that's probably what I'd do all day long. And I would enjoy every minute of it. If you have time, do it. You won't regret it.

So ... that's life in a nutshell from the last few months. Not much to brag about, and probably not worth blogging about, but Mom mentioned last night that she continues to check for updates (because she can't get enough with us living together) and I have to appease the masses, so there you have it.

Rumors

I'm in the middle of baking chocolate chip cookies tonight and my phone dings to tell me I have an email message. It's a message on Facebook from one of my "friends" saying (basically), "Hey, I heard you are getting married! I'm so happy for you."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!


That is the funniest thing I've heard in a LONG time. Mom and I got a good chuckle over it. I sent her a message back saying, "Who told you that? It's not true. I wish it were, but it's not. I'm looking though!" A little while later I get another "ding" and see she left another message. This time it says, "I don't want to say who told me because it will get him in trouble. Good luck in your search and if I find someone special enough for you I'll send them your way." 


WHAT?! A GUY told her that? What the heck? Why would a guy tell her that? And who told him that he even thought to tell her? Why are these spurious rumors going around? 


The whole thing makes me laugh. Number one, I would NEVER announce an engagement on Facebook. That is SO tacky. Number two, I never wear rings on my left ring finger, so how could any jewelry even be construed as an engagement ring? Number three, if I really were engaged I would tell my parents and family first, then my best friends, but not some random friend or third party. It's all so funny to me! Even as I write this I'm chuckling that it's a rumor. Oh well. I guess there could be worse rumors going around, right? 


None of those other rumors you've heard are true. I swear! 

Happy 47th, Mom and Dad

My parents have been married for 47 WHOPPING years today. In Hollywood time, that's like six centuries, at least. Recently, we were headed somewhere and I asked them if it felt like they'd been married for 47 years. Both responded the same: "No, it really doesn't." (How glad was I that they both answered the same?!) 


They have been through a lot together: six kids, the death of a baby, business ownership, college, teaching, old cars, new cars, parents dying, sicknesses, and terminal illness. It ain't been easy, that's for sure. The interesting thing is that through all of that and all the "regular" trials of life they've worked things out. The reason? In my opinion, it's because they not only took their wedding vows seriously, they took each other seriously. They cared more about each other than the end result of any disagreement or challenge. I love that! It gives me hope that marriages can last if both parties really want it to last. Surely there were moments where they thought it might be easier to throw in the towel, file for divorce, and go their separate ways. But they didn't - because they loved each other and cared about each other enough to stick through the tough times and make it work. 


Now that Dad has Parkinson's disease and fights a daily battle to be upright it's even more amazing to me. He tries to avoid complaining even though we know he's in pain and doesn't feel well and misses being able to do "normal" tasks. That makes it easier on Mom since she is his full-time caretaker and wears herself out doing all that's required to make his life happy and as healthy as possible. 


We (their children) get to celebrate with them this Friday night by taking them to dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It's not the fanciest restaurant, but it's spending the time with them that really counts. I love my parents so much! They are my best friends and the lights of my life. I love being able to talk with them about my day, share my secrets with them, and ask them any and all types of questions. They are so good to me and continue to be examples of what it takes to live a Christlike life. If I am any kind of good it's because they have taught me to be that way. All I know is when they were assigning parents in heaven I absolutely got in the best line! 


Love you Mom and Dad! Thanks for making the eternal sacrifice and staying together despite all that was thrown in your path. I love that you've dedicated your lives to the gospel and to each other because it's the best start for our family's "happily forever after." XOXOXOXO   

All the interest in pinterest

What is up with all the interest in pinterest? I see it all over people's blogs with references, "re-pins", etc. I've been on and didn't think it was all that fabulous. What's the big deal? Is there something about it I don't know? There was this one picture of a white pug wearing some huge black glasses on his nose. That kinda cracked me up. Other than that, I just don't get it. There are also some VERY interesting fashion photos. It reminds me why I didn't join the fashion industry as a career. Fill me in. What's all the fuss about and should I really take an interest in pinterest? 


On a completely unrelated topic, I really love Netflix. Have I said that before? I do believe I have! It's so great to watch all sorts of TV series and movies whenever I want. I know they're getting flack because their pricing went up, but I still say it's one of the best deals in town. Mom even bought a "box" that they can get Netflix on in their bedroom. We have yet to set it up (my fault, dangit!), but I'm planning to figure that out this weekend for their 47th wedding anniversary (which is tomorrow). It rocks and I really enjoy it. It's worth every penny! 

Pet Peeves

Let's just start the month off with a little complaining and get it out of the way right now. We all have pet peeves. Admit it. You have 'em. Some of mine have REALLY been bugging me lately, so I thought maybe sharing them here would get them out in the open and alleviate the "everyone I see is a punching bag!" feeling. Admit it. You've had that feeling, too. 


Pet Peeve #1:  People who like to "smother" me. I have a mom, thanks. I don't need you to look out for me or take care of me or baby me. Even if I didn't have a mom I think I'd still feel this way. Personal space people. Let me have it! 


Pet Peeve #2:  People who talk down to their kids. YOU birthed that kid. YOU raised that kid. If the kid is doing something stupid it's probably because you haven't taught them any differently. And, I swear, the next time I hear a derogatory remark from a mother to their kid such as, "Can't you read the label?" I'm going to throw a right hook that'll land me in jail. 


Pet Peeve #3:  People (hm, notice these all have to do with people ...) who argue when I tell them something I know to be true or when I say, "I can't remember." You will never be able to change what I know for myself, and you shouldn't basically call me a liar if you don't believe me when I say, "I don't remember." My brain either forgot about it or never knew it, so back off! 


Pet Peeve #4:  People who are still caught up in high school (even after, say, 35 or 40 years) and still think a "popular group" exists and want to be part of it. Get over it! You can always be nice to people, but there are some people you just can't be BFFs with because it would drain you emotionally, mentally, and any other -ally way. My being nice does NOT mean we are BFFs or that you have been given permission to stalk me, smother me, or be around me every minute. Find another hobby.


Pet Peeve #5:  People who don't/can't laugh. Come on! Life is funny, dangit. There's SO much to laugh about! I'm a serious sort. I'm contemplative and analytical, sometimes boringly so, but when something deserves a laugh I give it and I give it loud and proud! 


That's enough for today. Phew. It actually helps to have that down in written form. And if you're comment to this post has anything that resembles a "you shouldn't feel that way" comment, you can put yourself down as my pet peeve #6 because I'm human and I have feelings and I'm entitled to feel the way I feel and ain't nothin' gonna change it. 


I feel so much lighter ....   

(Two of) The Smithsonian(s)

Somewhere along the line, I didn't realize there were so many Smithsonians. There are, like, 17 of them, people! Yeah, it took me a while to catch on. And they're not all by each other. One was by Shauna's house near the Dulles airport. Who knew?! Not me. We only visited two of the museums - The American History and The Natural History. Both were fascinating and well worth the round-about walk we had to take to get there. Have I mentioned that D.C. is not a handicap friendly or stroller friendly town? It's not. We literally had to walk completely around the museums to get in with a stroller. Same ride for those in a wheelchair. Really stupid if you ask me. 


In the American History museum we saw Julia Child's kitchen. Oh yes we did! I loved it!! That woman was SO organized. Check out the pictures and see what I mean. She even outlined where her pots and pans went so they never got lost in the kitchen cupboards. We need her to come back and help us with our kitchen! (Please ignore the strange people in my photos. And the glare. Shauna's husband, Matt, hadn't fixed my camera settings yet, so the lighting was off a bit.)

We also saw the First Ladies' dresses at the American History museum. That was kind of fun! Some were smaller than I imagined, and others were larger and taller than I imagined. These pictures were horrible, so view at your own discretion! For whatever reason, I just couldn't get the camera to focus very well and there was lots of glare and the lighting was poor. I've put the best pictures up, and that's not saying much. 

At the time, I was reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, so when we ran on to this statue I had to get a photo: (if you've read the book, you'll know why)

Our next stop was the Natural History museum where we saw loads of animals, including the huge elephant that you see in the Night at the Museum movie. It was a treat, and I was amazed to see how they put so many of the animals in real situations. They were very lifelike. 

I think I might have disappointed Shauna. She kept asking, "Do you want to see Dorothy's shoes from The Wizard of Oz? Do you want to see this or that?" My answer was always, "Nah. I've seen enough." I really wasn't being a party pooper. There were just a few highlights I wanted to hit and we saw them all. No need to go the extra mile, especially while on vacation. :) It was great fun and I'd definitely go back to see more! 


This is the "real" Smithsonian. I thought it was beautiful and wish we would have seen it up close. Pictures suffice for now though. Loved all of it and want to see more one day! 

Library of Congress

Holy gorgeous interior! I am SO jealous of Jefferson's library it's not even funny! That man had OODLES of books. On all subjects. And they were so old and you could smell the paper and the glue and the leather - oh my! Yes, people, these are the things that excite me. Take a look at this (long) set of pictures and see what I mean by gorgeous. I only wish some of the pictures would have turned out with more detail because they don't even do the place justice. It's incredibly beautiful! 


At the end, we saw a Gershwin exhibit. Shauna HAD to have a picture with his piano, which makes sense to anyone that knows her. It was a real Steinway. And we saw his typewriter that was there, too. He wrote his own music and lyrics and was an amazing musician. That's why Shauna had her picture taken there and I didn't. I can still claim the fact that we played duets together though. It will be my "claim to fame" until the day I die. The Library of Congress is definitely a place I'd like to visit again when I have lots of time. And tissues. To wipe up all the drool I will so eagerly spend over Jefferson's library.