Christmas in November??

The big question is: How am I supposed to decorate the house for Christmas with my arm in a sling? So my dear husband says, "Let's put the tree up before your surgery!" See, he doesn't really want the responsibility of doing it when we normally do, which is after Thanksgiving and frankly, I don't relish the idea of just directing the whole procedure anyway. So that leaves us putting up the tree and lights and ornaments next weekend. So that I can do it! And he doesn't have to! Imagine that!

Actually, I think we might. I don't want to do all the decorating we usually do, but at least if the tree is up, it will seem like Christmas. Am I out of my ever lovin' mind?

P.S.  I need a GREAT book to read; something I can really sink my teeth into and not want to put down.  Something like The Kite Runner or East of Eden. A BIG book. Help.

STOP, don't watch the movie!!

Huge disappointment. This movie went so far away from the book that the ending lost all it's punch. Man, were we disappointed. The movie seemed so shallow, which to me just demonstrates the brilliance of Edith Wharton's writing.

Frosty morning

Brrrr. Clear, cold nights bring frosty mornings. It is so pretty, even though we know it means winter is coming.

More on time...

Larry and I have been researching this and we just read someone's opinion that even though all things have an opposite, time isn't a thing. That's just dumb to me. Larry is of the opinion that maybe if all things stayed the same, there would be no time because there would be no passage. But thank goodness, Joseph Smith said in D&C 121:30-31 that all the time stuff would be revealed in this dispensation.  That makes me feel better. I need to understand things.

What do we know about time?

Okay folks, I'm having an issue here. The concept of eternity has freaked me out since I was a child. It still does. So this is what I know. The measurement of time is man made. Apparently time with God doesn't exist. It's all together. The closest I ever came to understanding it came when I was flying cross country one night. I looked out the window to the ground behind me, saw the lights of a small town we had passed over and thought, "OHHH. I am witnessing their present time but it's in the past to me." Then I looked ahead to what we would be flying over in a few minutes and thought, "Okay I'm seeing the future." It was like I was seeing time all at once. It was very cool. Does any of that make SENSE? Do any of you have any thoughts on this? I don't want to lay awake any more nights and get dust in my eyes over this. Tick tock.

Classics

Today is Stake Conference, so I have a little time this morning - not having to rush around. ANYway, I just a few minutes ago finished Ethan Frome and am just floored by it. Have any of you read it? It's quite short but jam packed with some powerful writing and a tragedy that sets you reeling. I need to rent the DVD.

Mary Ann's bucket list

or, things I want to do before I'm dead -

Larry and I want to go on a mission but HE wants a desk job and I want humanitarian. So we'll probably never get to go because we can't agree! How about letting the Lord decide? Hmmm, imagine that.

- skydive

- go storm chasing and see a tornado

- go to a Nascar Saturday night race

- tour Boston

- go to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons

- go to Hawaii

- go to Nauvoo

- go back to Sicily

- go to Italy again, including Siena, Pisa, Bologna and Assisi, places I didn't see the first time

- get my hair cut in Florence

- buy a leather purse in Florence

- go to a major golf tournament like the Masters

- eat at a five star restaurant

- go back to Alaska

- go to Ellis Island

- take a Canadian cruise with Larry

- see in concert: Coldplay, Sting, U2, Hall and Oates, Paul McCartney and of course, Neil Diamond for many more times

I will update periodically. Anyone want to get tagged?

Fire at 4am

So there I was, sound asleep, when the phone rang and it's my boss from the chapter. There was a three alarm fire at an apartment complex here in Greece. There were a lot of people displaced and they needed some immediate assistance. We needed extra hands to get them all sheltered and fed, plus we offered food and beverages to the firefighters. I got home about 8am. So I guess the cat was feeling "sympathy fatigue" at 3pm; although she sleeps half the day away anyway. At least she opened her eyes to acknowledge the fact that I was home and safe. Good thing she is so cute.

Lookit these cool pumpkins...

...all lined up in front of Wegmans. It makes such a warm welcome.

Not too much....

My cousin's funeral was very sad. Her son is a border patrol officer at the Buffalo/Canada border, so his colleagues were there at the funeral, as well as an Erie County Sheriff. It was a tender moment when then met up with each other.

My Sunday School class went well. I love teaching! Katrina, I think of you every week and hope you are not so terrified anymore.

The Buffalo Bills are 4 and 0!!! The Yankees bombed out and are not in the playoffs. The agony and the ecstasy.

Work today was organized chaos.

Fall is in the air and I love it!

My cousin Joyce

She died this evening. She had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November. I hope she was peaceful at the end. She had not been happy with God about this illness.

We were almost exactly the same age; she was about six weeks older than me. I am so sad. She was a good kid. I was in their wedding in 1973. She was such a pretty bride with long dark hair. That's me on the right, in green. The short one with glasses.

Shoulder SURGERY!!

Try saying THAT three times. Well the MRI gave the orthopedist the information he needed about the rotator cuff.  He believes there is a small tear which will only get worse. Surgery is the best option since the physical therapy didn't work and the cortisone shot didn't work, either. Hopefully he can do it without slicing me open too badly. I won't be able to drive or lift my arm over my head for SIX WEEKS! Right now, it's scheduled for November 13, but it may get moved up if there is a cancellation. Or I may move it to December depending on a possible client. Needless to say, I am a little apprehensive. It's my right arm, too. 

It will put a lot on Larry. I need a mother! I need a sister! I need a daughter! I have a cat.

...continuing the story

Wednesday - 

5am - wake up.

9:30am - while talking to pregnant friend/client, her water breaks, she promises to keep me posted.

10:30am - call from Red Cross to see if I am available to go to Strong Memorial Hospital to interview fire clients from the night before. It was the fire where those three little kids were hurt. I interview the family and provide assistance.

2pm - to the chapter to drop off the interview paperwork - have not eaten yet but someone saved me a plate of food from a meeting. Grateful.

3:30pm - rush back to Greece for my hair appointment, hoping beyond hope that pregnant friend/client does not call me to come when I have my head full of highlight solution.

5:30pm - made it! Head for home to have some dinner and wait for baby to come.

6:30pm - friend/client calls for me to come to the hospital, off I go.

8:30pm - we decide that I would leave because nothing is happening yet. They promise to call when labor kicks in.

8:45pm - I'm not even out the door of their hospital room when my cell phone rings. It's the 911 dispatcher saying there are two fires at once and wonders if I am available to respond. Off I go again, back to the chapter to get the team and head to the fire.

12:30am Thursday - back home from the fire after assisting lovely family who lost almost everything.

12:45am - just about to get into bed when phone rings. Labor has started and they would like me to come. Get dressed, go back to Highland.

3:43am - baby boy is born weighing in at 9lbs.5oz. Awesome labor and birth, one of the best.

5:30am - back at home, sink into bed and sleep for the first time in 24 hours!

No one would believe this week

It has been a long week:

Monday morning - went to a fire in Webster where two people died. When we got there, the fire chief said we didn't have to stay because the people were still inside the burning home. It was a murder suicide.

Monday evening - meeting of the Doula Cooperative

Tuesday - had an MRI for one the bad shoulders. The MRI wasn't so bad, just loud. Good thing they gave me earplugs!

Wednesday was nuts. I am so tired that I will have to finish this tomorrow.....

Just a great day

It was one of those cool, late summer days, with a beautiful blue sky, puffy white clouds and just enough chill in the air to want long sleeves. I spent the day with Pam, my best and eternal friend in all the world. Her little girls were in school all day, but they have a new puppy that needs constant attention right now, so we just stayed at her house and enjoyed the day together.

This is Isa, their West Highland Terrier. Is that the cutest face ever? She is 10 weeks old and just a sweet little girl. Isa is Norwegian for "ice."

Pam's husband brings in caterpillars for the girls to put in a bowl with milkweed. They wait for the caterpillar to spin its cocoon and then anxiously wait again for the butterfly to emerge. Today was the day! Oh and p.s. - Pam's wearing the bracelet I made for her!

Sleep is a beautiful thing -

- especially when you haven't had much of it in the past few days. I have had a hard time sleeping lately. But you moms know all about that. I don't know how you all do it. I am a complete mess without sleep. I do very well with catnaps though, which helps so much when I'm with a mom during a long labor. But I need a good 6 -7 hours to feel like myself and not look like an old hag. Makeup is a beautiful thing, too!

Speaking of makeup, I've discovered Bare Minerals. We have this cool store here called Ulta and boy do they have some great products, including this Bare Minerals stuff. I need a little more coverage as I get older and this stuff actually makes me look good! Braces and all. Speaking of the braces. I am tired of them already. It's only 8 months! I asked the orthodontist again if she thought it would really take a whole 2 years to finish this teeth project. She said absolutely not. Amen.

Thanks, Susan!

This is fun. It has some really lovely pictures, too. Apparently, I am an Optimist!

HBPS - The Optimist

You perceive the world with particular attention to humanity. You focus on the hidden treasures of life (the background) and how that fits into the larger picture. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on humanity, you tend to seek out other people and get energized by being around others. You like to ponder ideas and imagine the many possibilities of your life without worrying about the details or specifics. You are in tune with all that is around you and understand your life as part of a larger whole. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.

The Perception Personality Types:

Take The Perception Personality Image Test 

Labor Day baseball

Is there anything better than a warm summer afternoon spent at a ball game? Okay well maybe some things are better, like a Neil Diamond concert, but this is pretty great. 

Rochester Red Wings!

Some of the players running sprints before the game. The guy wearing #50 won the game in the bottom of the ninth with a homerun blast!

I always enjoyed watching the grounds crew wet down the infield. I like this shot.

Update on the sugar thing

Okay so I made this goal for myself way back in March to quit eating desserts and stay away from sugar and sugar substitutes.  Here is the progress report -

It's working!!!

It's been easier than I thought. Once I made the commitment, it was almost like when we joined the church. No more coffee? Fine. No alcohol? No problem. So I looked at sweets as just something I don't do anymore. But the cruise to Alaska posed a problem for me. Was I going to look at it like I was an addict and not eat anything sweet? Or was I going to let myself have a treat occasionally? So as I fussed and stewed over it, Larry one day said to me, "Why don't you just eat?" OH! Imagine that.

So the vacation - I found it was hard to resist my favorite dessert on the ship. But a little bit was enough. Also one day at the pool I was really wanting some ice cream. So I got a small cone and was happy. Unfortunately, it was easy to let go and eat the sweets though, once I got started. Much harder to eat wisely....

The good news is that once I got home, it was easy again to get back on track. I did have some ice cream the other night, but had WAAAAY too much and my stomach rebelled. I felt sick for a few hours.

One thing I learned from all this is that if the food doesn't taste good enough, I don't want it. For instance, Hershey kisses are fine, but not good enough. If I'm going to eat chocolate, give me Lindt or Dove or Cadbury. Something I REALLY like.

So that's the report. I feel successful!

August 23 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LARRY!!

I love Larry. EVERYBODY loves Larry. He is funny and witty. But I love him because he cares about my happiness. He sacrifices a lot to make me happy, like going places he may not want to go or sending me on my grand adventures with his blessing. And a priesthood blessing, too.

He is an incredibly good neighbor. He is friendly, with the ability to make conversation with just about anyone. He was an excellent branch president. The people loved him.

We read together, listen to music together and work well together. He helps me with my lessons. He is loyal. He is tolerant of my craziness.

And like I've said before, my father was right. He said Larry was a good man.

So happy birthday, hon! Let's go have a great day!