Not a lot happening in my world right now....I had a birthday...it has been five years since George passed...celebrating seven years this week with Alaska...my grandchildren are growing up in front of my eyes...my children are prospering... I LOVE my home, my family, have great friends, and am content with my life. I've lined myself up a bunch of volunteer work this spring and summer. I also plan on expanding my knowdledge of birding, so I don't think I will be bored.

I sent Flat Standley home last week and his transportation was over $9.00, I swear I spent a bundle showing him around town and creating his book. It was fun and for sure a first with me.

The house directly across from me sold to a lady named Chris who was widowed in Oct. I'm not sure how old she is but we have a lot in common, she and her late husband together have 9 children and 15 grandchildren. She is a Boise native who lived in Arco with her hubsand, she is a registered nurse and will be working at St. Als. I think we will be good neighbors and hopefully become friends. I am excited to have her as my neighbor.

My vacation is in two weeks and I will be in Emmett staying with Keegan while his parents are in Australia. I am very excited for them and can hardly wait to have 4 days with the boy. I hope to reconnect with some of my Emmett friends and family while I am there. Amanda and Phil leave on the 10th and will return on the 17. His other granny will come and stay from the 14th to the 17th and I will come home and have a couple of days off and than back to work for all of us.

My House Guest

So Flat Stanley arrived at my house yesterday unannounced, he plans to stay a couple of weeks. He is a friend of my grandaughter Brittne Tooley and they live in Burneyville, OK. He's never been to Idaho before and arrived in a package with wonderful pictures of Brittne and her family. He didn't wear a coat and is dressed in a suit and tie so he may get a bit chilly as we wonder around. I have advised him next time to dress casual and always have a coat.
Today I am taking him to work with me and Wed. we will go to a poetry reading in Garden City, and on Friday we are going on a field trip to try and see the burrowing owls in Pearl. I think he may get to visit Amandas' third grade class and of course he must take a trip to the capital and the train depot. He will spend Easter with us in Emmett and meet the rest of Brittnes family, including her grandpa Ken.
So far he hasn't had much to say but he has a great smile and hasn't made any messes, we will see how he does with the boys on Thur., maybe it will be nice and we can pay some ball. It is too bad he has to head back so soon as we will not be able to take a trip anywhere....but wait maybe one of my friends is going somewhere and he may get to tag along. Maybe Bonnie will give him a massage since being cooped up in that package couldn't have been much fun. I think right now he can go help me mow the yard before we head for work.

March 27 has come and gone

So I turned 58 in March and it may have been one of the best days of my life....and I have had my share of good days. It started at my son, Rick house where we hung out with Tristan and Olivia. Than we went to a yard sale where I bought an excercise machine and a basket ball hoop for the boys. We than headed down to the Zoo where Amanda, Keegan, and Martha were waiting for us. I love the Zoo but when you get to roam around it with two very excited boys, two helpful young girls and your son and daughter it is a bonus trip. We got to the Zoo about 11am and were off to see the monkeys. Following the monkeys we were off to check out all the birds and than off to see the new African display. The African display is still in the planning stages and only had the griaffes and the lions out. The griaffes were actually inside the shed and were kinda hard to see but the lions (3) were romping around and both boys were NOT impressed with them. Tristan wanted to drive the jeep (along with many other kids) and Keegan was running around like his feet were on fire. From there we were back out to see the medium Cats whch were out and running around. BUT WAIT..what is this a merry go round that only costs a 1.00 to ride...as Keegan pulls Tristan across the yard to check this out it is decided that they will ride with the help of the girls. Around and around they go and they are not ready to get off when it stops. It is starting to warm up so maybe more animals will be out so off we go to our next adventure. The Penguines are out diving and swimming and as we stand around and watch, I can see my son beginning to glaze over. As we walk around he, Martha, and Tristan are getting futher and futher ahead so I wonder how much longer he is good for. The Zebras are behind a fence and hard to see, the Mtn. Goats are gone because they are working on their pen, the Sloth Bear is all curled up in the sun sleeping. The Leapords and the Tigars are out and we have a great time watching them. At the Tigars cage, Keegan falls down and Martha isn't aware that he is on the ground behind her so she starts to step back and Amanda and I both grab her and scare her so much she almosts drops Tristan in the process. Thank God no one was stepped on...knocked down..or dropped.
However I believe that the boys have the best time when they can go down the slide, go through the tunnel, sit on the toys and just run around. OK it is after 1:00pm and time to move along. Lunch anyone? Off we go to Carl Jrs. in Garden City and than Amanda, Keegan, and Olivia are off to my house where they will try to get him to nap. I go back to Ricks so I can stay with Martha and Tristan ,who is napping, while Rick does some shopping. When Rick returns I go home and spend an hour with Amanda and than it is back to RT's where Phil, Mindy, Mandy and Damon join us for a birthday bar-b-qu. Amanda, Phil and Keegan give me gardening stuff, Mandy and Damon give me candles and lotions, Martha and Olivia give me the most wonderful pictures, and Rick and Mindy and Tristan give me a gift cert to Wine and Things.
I spent my total day with some of the people I love most in the whole world...what a great way to spend your birthday. The next day I go to work and the girls have flowers, brownies, and a great card for me. Several people sent me birthday wishes by way of emails and facebook. It was the first year ever that I didn't get something from my mom but I know that if she were able she would have sent me a card. I miss you mommie.
So I'll drink a toast to 58..put out good vibes and look forward to whatever new adventure this year will bring to me. Heres looking at you....Bring it on.

changes they r a coming

So to all my wonderful friends and family:

In April of this year it will be 5 years since life as I knew it ceased. During these years I have been building friends and learning to live alone. I have learned that while it isn't easy I can do things I never knew I could do.

So yesterday I had a real live "date" with a person who wasn't already a friend of mine. His name is John and I can see us becoming friends. We had a great visit and we have a lot in common.

I was really nervous because it has been a long time since I had sat down and had any type of conversation with a grown man that wasn't already an acquaintance. My nerves were for naught because we had lots to talk about.

As I said changes they R a coming. I am ready to move on with the next step in my life...don't know what or where that will be but I am ready to get it on.

What a morning

I just spent the most amazing morning in the foothills of Boise. A friend and I went to breakfast and than on a long walk where I was introduced to bird watching. Yep that is what I said watching the birds in the trees and the sky instead of my feet. The sun was breaking over the hills and the air was alive with the sounds of music. It sounded like the sweetest concert ever played. Birds were flitting and chirping and going about their merry way. I was introduced to Morning Doves, Robins, A great Horned Owl, Hawks, Pigeons, and 7 other species of birds, whose names I will have to learn. It was amazing to watch and to feel the passion my friend has for these tiny creatures. I am inspired and will need to purchase a set of binoculars and a better camera. I will NEVER take a walk again without looking around me and listening to the sounds.

Glen Ivy 2009

Ok it is time for another adventure..lets head for the sun.
Carrie, Signe, Bonnie and I jumped a plane on Thursday and headed for LA. Our goal is a Spa at Corona Cal, called Glen Ivy, it is our second trip in as many years. So the plane leaves early and it is a quick pleasant trip, the shuttle to Dollar arrives rather quickly....but the line for the car is out the door long. One hour later we are picking up a sweet little convertible and on our way....except the top won't come down because out overnite bags take up too much room in the trunk. What? Why would that have any bearing on lowering the top? Well it does so no worry..off we go with the windows down and our trusty GPS guiding us. Wait with the windows down we can't hear a word she(the GPS) says...After a couple of miss turns and lunch it is like 2:30 and we are there. So we check in and go get undressed so we can enjoy the facility.
Carrie and Signe opt for the works with a massage but Bonnie and I go with the mud bath, the Grotto and doing our own thing...that's what is nice about Spas' you can do what you want. You asked what is a mud bath and Grotto..let me tell you. Club Mud is where you shower and than rub red clay all over your body, than you let it bake either in the Waffa oven or the sun and than you rub it off before you go into the warm mineral bath and soak. The Grotto is underground and they paint your body with Alo and Kelp and allow you to sit for 20 mins. in a heated area, followed by a shower and hanging out in a cooler area drinking green tea and feasting on green apples. From there you have a hugh range of things you can do...we opt for the sea salt pool which is luke warm and with the wind way too cold for us. So off we go to the stem room and than the hot tub and by now it is almost 5pm and closing time. Carrie and Signe finish right at 5pm and only have time to sit in the steam for a couple of mins. We are all totally relaxed and ready to go to the next part of our adventure. Sig and Carrie are headed back and Bon and I are staying in La. We all have to overnite but they are doing so in Seattle and flying out early the next day.
Bon and I head out to Santa Monica to the Travel Lodge and a great Mexican restraunt we know. By the time we get there and have dinner we are ready to crash so we go to bed and get up early the next day and go down to the beach and watch the surfers, birds, a seal and people. Than off we go back to the airport.
It was a good time out after a hard couple of months....

PS:On the way to the airport I tried to run down a man. I had already pulled out to cross the street before I saw the man with a dog following him... what I almost didn't see was the man who was attached to the dog. I was stopped in the middle of the street with cars on my ass and Bon yelling at me because I was trying to take out this man. See always an adventure.
Until next time....

Special Olympics

Boise hosted the 2009 Special Olympics and I was lucky enough to be able to attend most of the performaces. ....I was so touched by these young people that I cried and laughed and came away feeling renewed.  It is such an honor to live in a state/town that takes on such a great cause and than to be part of it is unexplainable.  I watched one young man who tried with his whole heart to skate backwards and even though he never made it, he was so proud of what he did that the crowd loved him.  He bowed and threw kisses and BELIEVED that he had done an excellent job.  When he fell he got up and tried again and my heart filled with happiness.  If only the world could look at things like that. 

At the Floor Hockey I sat with the Team from Bulgaria and Tim Schriver sat right in front of me. I watch Team USA beat Team Kuwait by one point and Team Spain beat Team Combodia 7 to 2. The players were very competitive and they all came to win. At one point one of the players got upset and his coach made a donward move with his hand and he settled right down. I was there for the finals and watched Kuwait win a medal and they were immediatly on the floor giving thanks to their God...than they were dancing and singing and very very happy.

I took Keegan and Tristan to watch the figure skating and Scott Hamilton and Michele Quan was there.The Vice President attended, but we had to go so we missed him. We ended up sitting in the "nose bleed section" but the view was great. It was packed and noisy so Tristan kept covering his ears and everytime the music stopped Keegan would sign for me to tell them he wanted more music. He would bounce and clap and loved every moment. They were such good little boys and we had a great time.

Olivia,Martha and I went to the Speed Skating we sat with the delgation from Hong Kong and Olivia spent over 2 hours visiting with one of the skaters. Ryan skated the 700 and the 775 and medaled in each event. He was honored to be in our country and to tell Liv about his country. She now wants to go to Hong Kong.

Every event was well worth attending and I am so honored to have been part of the Special Olympics. Kudos to Idaho and to the people who took the time to make this happen. My life has been blessed by these athletics!