Easter Nostalgia

I had no Easter baskets to make or eggs to decorate or hide this year. I am going to make a Ron a lovely  meal and that will be the extent of our Easter celebration. I may have shared this photo before, but it is one of my favorites. Here are the Beeson Girls at Easter 1992...

Memories....

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Spring break

About a week ago, Mandi asked me if I'd like to take a road trip to Santa Barbara with her. Really? A chance to spend 5 hours in the car on the way there and 5 hours on the way back in the car talking and enjoying my daughter's company? Absolutely! Of course, I wanted to go...so we did and here we are. She needed a break from the stress of PT school and her classes at UCSF and I am just thrilled that she wanted to spend the time with me!

I can't begin to count the number of hours Ron and I spent driving to and from Santa Barbara during the 6 years that JB, Mandi and Beckie went to school at UCSB. The other day we were reminiscing about just this and I mentioned to Mandi that I missed going to Santa Barbara...It's been 2 years since Ron and I drove down here to move Mandi back to the Bay Area just before she moved to NYC. It really is a lovely place to visit. I imagine that it's ridiculously expensive to live here...Oprah and Barbra Streisand have homes in Montecito which is very near here.

We are having a such a good time. It's fun to watch Mandi reminisce about her time here. We have been going to her favorite restaurants and other places she has wanted to see. Last night it was nachos at FreeBirds in Isla Vista. Today we had beautiful salads at Natural Cafe on State Street. This evening we had dinner at Aldo's - delicious. Our day today started with an intense yoga class that was supposed to be for beginners - HA! Later, I had fun shopping at the Sunday Art Fair on the beach. Great shopping, lovely sightseeing, good food, wonderful company and conversation. I wish that I could have time like this with each one of my girls on a regular basis...

We will be heading back home tomorrow after Mandi visits her old co-workers at Elite Performance and Rehabilitation Center. I might even try to find a yarn store in this neck of the woods. It's been a quick trip but we've had a great time!

just one more row!

I'm a bit tired today because I was awake until just after 2 am last night. What was keeping me awake? Was I watching TV? Reading a good book? Nope. I was knitting. Sitting in bed and knitting and trying to finish my first hat. I did finish and what a feeling of satisfaction! I blame my new FINM (friend I've never met) Rachael Herron for enlightening me to the joys of yarn and knitting in her memoir - "A Life in Stitches." She wrote with such passion about knitting that I had to try it. Between YouTube videos and lessons from a friend at my volunteer workplace, I have learned how to knit.

I have started seeking out and exploring yarn stores. I'm collecting yarn and knitting needles in every size and material - I have plastic, aluminum, resin and bamboo needles. I also have started collecting circular needles of different sizes. There are all kinds of knitting gadgets as well - stitch counters, point protectors, yarn needles, cable needles....I could go on and on...and spend and spend. I really am trying to reign myself in, but it's hard not to get crazy about this new hobby. I have been given some beautiful pattern books of knitting projects, so I have to get very good at it before I can attempt more complicated  patterns.

Here are my first few modest projects...

A scarf, a hat and a cell phone sock

Mandi is modeling the hat I finished last night - she liked it so I gave it to her!

I'm getting close to being ready to start a little more ambitious project soon. I found a book of easy beginner's projects at a lovely yarn store in Los Altos called "Uncommon Threads." It should keep me busy for a while! I found another yarn store in Pleasanton called "Knit This, Purl That."

So much yarn...so little time!

The Madness that comes in March

Yesterday was a high holy day in the Beeson House - Selection Sunday for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. This morning I printed out 2 copies of the brackets and this evening Ron and I each filled out our own copy. We're having a contest! We haven't decided what the prize will be for the winner, though...

The games start on Thursday...we are really excited about both IU and Butler being in the tournament this year. Can't wait to see who wins the whole thing. Ron has chosen Wisconsin and I have selected Indiana to win the tournament. I wonder who Mandi chose...Who do YOU think will win it all?

just because

I ran across these pictures the other day when I was looking for something else. I had wanted to use them for the blog I wrote on JB's birthday but couldn't find them at the time. So here they are - a month late.

When Jennie was born I became rather attached to my camera and over the years, she just learned to deal with it. She knew that the sooner I got the shot I wanted, the sooner I'd leave her alone and she could go back to what she was doing.

This was after the Renaissance Fair. I'm fairly biased, but the camera has always loved her!

I'm pretty sure she was about 16 years old in these photos. Is it me or does it look like she lights up from the inside?

If she happens to see this blog, her response will be to roll her eyes. "Oh, Mom." I just miss her. It's hard to have her living all the way across the country. I get to see her soon, though! Can you tell I'm excited?!

Oz - The Great and Powerful

What a disappointment! I had high hopes for this movie - it started in black and white - I thought this was a good sign. Then the hot air balloon gets pulled into a cyclone, Oz is knocked out, and he wakes up in technicolor just like the original Wizard of Oz. There were some visually stunning scenes that I think were created specifically for the 3D version.We opted to see the regular movie.

James Franco played the great and powerful Oz. There's no beating around the bush - he was awful - he played the whole thing as if he was half baked. Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz played Theodora and Evanora - the evil witches in Oz. Their performances were tolerable but Michelle Williams as Glinda the good witch sounded like Marilyn Monroe through the entire show. Not good.

Here's what I think - this movie would be ok for kids except that the flying baboons were MUCH scarier in this movie than the flying monkeys were in the original. Otherwise, I think only kids would appreciate this movie. Truthfully, some people actually applauded at the end of the movie. However, when the movie ended, Ron looked at me and said, "I'm not sure why they thought they had to make that movie." I couldn't have said it any better myself.

a little more good news

During my hospitalization and health crisis (almost 7 months ago) I had many many MANY diagnostics tests. After experiencing a couple of seizures, an MRI was done of my brain (yes, I have one!). Although they didn't find the cause of my seizures, there was an "incidental finding" of a questionable spot between my cerebellum and brain stem. The doctors didn't think it looked like anything serious, but since they found it, they had to keep an eye on it.  Last month I had another MRI to see if the spot had changed in any way or if there was any cause for concern. I finally saw my neurologist yesterday to get the verdict. The good news is that there is no reason to think there is anything wrong with my brain - you may insert your own joke here!

The most rewarding part of my visit to see Dr. Sands was when he looked at me smiling and said "I can't get over how good you look!" Aw, shucks, Doc! Of course, he saw me when I first got to the hospital when I looked REALLY bad. After doing an extensive physical exam testing my strength and reflexes, Dr. Sands has decided that we don't need to see each other any more! One less doctor to visit!

So, the good news is I have the doctor's permission to drive again!

The bad news is that now it's time to start looking for a job. Actually, that's not bad news - it's just a little scary...

not a good sign

I keep losing my glasses. I won't even remember taking them off, but I put them down somewhere and then I can't find them. When I do find them it's because I've sat or stepped on them - my favorite pair of glasses is now all squashed and crooked. Mandi tried to fix them for me (as she used to work at an optical store), but they're still a bit crooked. I've lost them again and it's maddening. I've retraced my steps 3 times and still no luck. Is this a sign of things to come? I sure hope not! It wouldn't be so bad, but I've gotten to the point where I really do NEED my glasses to function throughout the day...I'll have to pull out another pair...crap! I guess I'll have to start using that eyeglass cord that connects to the glasses and keeps them hanging around my neck...sigh...

Unfortunately, this misplacing of things is not limited to my glasses. I also lose my shoes, hats and even my purse at times. Hopefully, this is only a sign that I have too much on my mind...hopefully...

After a fourth trip around the house, I finally remembered where I left my glasses! Nobody frustrates me more than I do!

You will always be older than me!

There is a saying that goes something like "you can pick your friends but you can't pick your relatives..." Well, I am a pretty fortunate gal to have been able to pick some of my relatives as my very best friends. One of those that is near and dear to my heart is celebrating his 52nd birthday today!

Happy Birthday, Kubby!

Can you believe how young and thin we were?!

Kevin is so much more than a cousin to me. He is the older brother I always wished for - over the years, he has been a friend, confidant, adviser, shopping buddy, shoulder to cry on and someone to give me that reality check I needed at times. "Snap out of it!" he would say to me whenever I was moaning about something ridiculous. When our girls were born, Ron and I asked him to be godfather to our 3 girls and he never took that title lightly. We knew that if anything had ever happened to us while the girls were growing up, Kevin would be the ideal person to care for them. JB, Mandi and Beckie ADORE their "Kuncle" as he does them. Luckily, Ron and I survived and he wasn't put in the position of having to raise them! In the meantime, he has been present and active for every milestone each of them has had...countless dance recitals, birthday parties and graduations.

He had his hands full with the Beeson Girls!

at JB's college graduation

at Mandi & Beckie's high school graduation

Kevin is often hysterically funny - so much fun to spend time with.  I don't know of a more generous person on this earth - he is a person that doesn't know how to do something halfway - "More is More" is his motto. He would go to the ends of the earth for his friends and the people he loves. Kevin is a wonderful person and I'm so grateful to have him as cousin and friend. He's not totally perfect, though. I know for a fact that Kevin is capable of falling asleep and snoring like a chainsaw during the performance of an opera. (Ask me how I know this!).

Here we are - The Fab Four at the Santa Fe Opera - (right before Kevin's nap!)

I was so glad to be there for his 50th birthday a couple years ago and he was there when I hit the big 5-0 last year...I wish I could be there to watch him blow out the candles on his cake this year, too! Since I can't be there, I will send this virtual hug and best wishes for a beautiful birthday.

¡Feliz cumpleaños, primo! ¡Te amo!

Cheers! Here's to 52! And many more!

yoga ladies

I just re-upped for another 8 classes of yoga at the San Leandro Senior Community Center. In the beginning, it was hard to reconcile myself to the fact that I was old enough to be able to register for this class - you have to be 50 to be allowed in the club! Now that I'm less than a month away from my 51st birthday, I just find it humbling to be in class with these older ladies who are obviously yoga veterans.

Except for the instructor who is 49 years old, I am the youngest person in my class by at least 15 years. Every Tuesday and Thursday when I go to class, most of the ladies are already there stretching and warming up. They are quite serious about exercising and often put me to shame. I am always amazed by how well they are able to hold some of the balance poses. I wobble and fall over while trying to do the Warrior 1 pose and my older classmates are just doing it. It was really embarrassing the time we were asked to do a shoulder stand and I was the only one who couldn't. I'm getting stronger and am able to do more all the time, so I definitely see myself being able to do the boat pose one day without rocking backwards.

I borrowed this photo from the internet so this is not actually one of my classmates.

The yoga ladies are a fun bunch and sometimes get a little chatty in class, but I guess they've earned the right. They are stylish, too. They all have very nice yoga mats and come to class dressed in color coordinated outfits...yes, their outfits often match their yoga mats! My favorite is the 70ish Irish lady that comes to class wearing dangling earrings and her pearls - seriously! She is also the about the best in class and we are often told to watch how "Ida" is doing it since her form is so good. I will keep practicing so that maybe someday I will be accomplished enough to wear my good jewelry to class!

So what do these ladies have that I don't besides the color coordinated outfits, fancy mats and expensive jewelry? Years of practice and experience. I'll get there. I'm so determined that I'm doing yoga on my own at home on a hand-me-down mat from Mandi. I just need time.

Namaste.

This will be me one day!

300!

With this post, I hit a very special milestone. THIS is my 300th post! It's only taken me 3 1/2 years to get here, but here I am! If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know that most of what I've written over the years has been silly stuff about movies. Every once in a while, though, I do feel inspired to write about something that is more personal and important to me. I probably share more than I should and more than makes my family comfortable, but they know how much I like to write about them. My daughter and real writer, Beckie, has been encouraging me to write a memoir for a long time and even bought me a book last Mother's Day- "The Autobiographer's Handbook" and a Moleskin notebook to help me get started. So, maybe I will - although I'm not sure that I have a book's worth of an interesting life to talk about. We'll see. Blogging just seems easier and fills my need for instant gratification! Too bad I don't get paid to write here!

Today I just want to thank the people that stop by here to read my silly little stories and observations. It's incredibly validating and satisfying in a way that is hard to describe to know that my words have made a difference to anyone else (other than myself). So, THANK YOU!  I am really going to try to step it up and write more interesting 'stuff' than movie reviews going forward. I think it's the least I can do for you since you take the time to read this.

by the bay

 A visit from the Wild Thing generally means that we have to find creative ways to keep him busy. During breakfast, we made a list of things he wanted to do today. Among the things on his list was to ride his scooter. It was a beautiful day so off we went with me on my bike and him on his scooter.We ended up on the walking path by San Francisco Bay.

We spent the afternoon climbing on rocks, looking for just the right stick, squishing through wet sand and playing tic tac toe...

Beautiful day, good company...simple pleasures are the best!

No bones about it

Ron and I made the trek up to San Francisco again yesterday. This time it was for a bone density exam. I've had one before, but now that I am actively menopausal my doctor felt that it would be a good idea to get a baseline test. As I've said before, the upkeep on this old body is sometimes a drag!

I don't want to complain, though. Every time we do go to UCSF to visit one of my doctors or to have lab work or x-rays done, I am always so impressed by the professionalism of the staff. Whichever department I visit, I am always greeted with a smile. The nurses always introduce themselves by name. The waiting areas are neat and clean. Through the entire process of my follow-up appointments during my recovery, I think the longest I've had to wait for a doctor is 15 minutes.

One of the best things about UCSF is their communication system called My Chart. I am able to send messages to any of my doctors, request refills for medications or schedule appointments through My Chart and they respond relatively quickly. The hospital sends me reminders about appointments and gives me results of blood work or x-rays. I had my bone density exam yesterday at 8:30 am. At 11:16 am I received an email telling me to check My Chart for my test results. Result - my bones are just fine.

I may be a little biased since the doctors and nursing staff at UCSF saved my life and because Mandi is attending graduate school there in the Physical Therapy program, but I have to say again, that if you are in need of medical care - you can't go wrong by going to UCSF.  It's worth the time spent in traffic and across the bridge to get there. I am a WALKING example of how great the care is at UCSF.

To knit or to sew? That is the question...

I started this post last week, but then things got very busy and life got away from me for a bit. That's the thing - I am not back to work yet, but my life is full and busy and I like it.

Every morning I wake up and make my "to do" list - on the left side I write down the things I MUST do - on the right side I list the things that I should do if I have the time. At the bottom of my list I write the same 4 items every day...this was yesterday's list -

Tuesday, March 5th

1. Yoga                               4. Take boxes to recycling center
2. Laundry                           5. Organize garage
3. Clean frig                          

Read
Write
Sew
Knit

What I know about myself is that I am much more productive each day if I leave the TV turned off. I love "Good Morning America" but I've found that if I don't start watching TV first thing in the morning, I am much more successful about getting each item crossed off the list every day except for the ones at the bottom. Those four items at the bottom of the list are my reward for getting the other things done; although, I will admit that I often sit and write in the morning before I've done anything else. My brain works the best in the morning, I guess.

Because there are a limited number of hours in a day, my dilemma is deciding which of my rewards to give myself. Read? Write? Sew? Knit? It's all good. Today I knit so maybe tomorrow I'll sew...

Moving day...again...

Happy March, Everyone! It's been a busy weekend and I'm still trying to recover. Ron and I spent the last couple days helping Mandi move from San Francisco to Oakland. This is her 3rd apartment since she moved back from NYC, so hopefully she will stay put for a while! Not that Ron minds. He loves to be able to help the girls and it gives him the opportunity to justify himself for keeping our full size van.

Soon after our twins were born way back in 1988, Ron bought our first mini-van. It was so much easier to get all the car seats situated in our Chevy van and to get the girls in and out of the car. However, having a van meant that I had to learn how to drive a "bus" and that our parking choices were sometimes limited because of the overhead clearance. We lived in Texas at the time and often traveled around our big state and back and forth to Arizona to visit Ron's parents. I have to admit that it was a great way to travel on vacation - we even made the trek to Disneyland in it when the JB was 6 and Mandi & Beckie were 4.

The Mini

Around 1993, Ron decided that it was time to upgrade to a full-sized customized Chevy van. Traveling with a wife, 3 girls and a mother-in-law (mom lived with us at the time), made it difficult to squeeze all our luggage into the mini. I remember one trip when Ron piled the luggage on the top of the mini and tied it down with rope and bungee cords. Then it rained - what an ordeal! We spent the first day of that vacation in wet clothes! He'd had enough of that, so Ron brought home Big Blue around 1993. "She" was a full-size custom Chevy van with plush blue interior. Driving and parking that monster was a challenge for me but I had no choice but to learn to do it.

Big Blue during a trip to Northern Arizona - yes, that's snow!

Having Big Blue made it much easier for us to drive the girls and friends here and there. As a girl scout leader it was helpful to be able to deliver cookies out of the back of the van and to take the troop on field trips. Yes, there were many benefits to having a bus, but I really began to long for something smaller...something sporty. Ron loved being able to take comfortable car trips and we never had to listen to the girls fight with each other in the back of the van because they had plenty of space.

Before we left Arizona at the end of 2000, we got a new Chevy van and it was beautiful. The color was  an iridescent teal that changed color in the light. The interior was tan leather and extremely comfortable to ride in and to drive. We had this van during the time that I was helping to drive the girls to away games for volleyball or football. When JB started college in 2004, we drove her and all her belongings to Santa Barbara in this van. Ron is a master at packing the van - it's like watching a real game of Tetris when he starts packing up!

Shiny and green! This was an anniversary trip to Palm Springs.

We put a lot of miles on that van back and forth to Santa Barbara and around the state, but we lost her on Thanksgiving Eve 2005, when a guy driving towards me in a Toyota Camry decided to make a left turn. I slammed on the brakes, but I hit him anyway. His car scooted back through the intersection and my beautiful blue-green bus was totaled. Physically, I was fine since I was wearing my seat belt, but my van was done. It surprised me how emotionally attached I was to that car.

The current Beeson Bus - taking Mandi & Beckie to college

We still had years of moving the girls back and forth from college so Ron was determined to buy another van. He had to go all the was to LA to find what he was looking for and we still have that van now. I'm not attached to this one the way I was to the last. "She" isn't as pretty - she's grey with a grey interior - nothing special, but she has taken us on many great trips. We've made many trips to Santa Barbara, lots of trips to Napa and Sonoma and 3 trips to Disneyland (the last two of those Disney trips with our Wild Thing). It's been a good bus, but I'm starting to long for something smaller and sporty again...something that we can park without worrying about the overhead clearance and length of the parking space...sigh...I know that Ron isn't ready to let go of the Beeson Bus, though. He's certain that it will come in handy the next time we need to buy a new mattress or TV or something big. He is also convinced that since it's my car, it's the safest thing I could be driving. He just won't let go. So even though the price of gas is ridiculous and I'm itching to ride in something smaller, I'm stuck with the Beeson Bus.

Maybe someday....