Moving Back to Town

After five years in the country we are returning to the land of grocery stores, restaurants, Dairy Queen, and friends just down the street. We have enjoyed the country life but have found a home in a gated community of 44 homes. Now we can lock and leave whenever we want. We sold our ranch to a lady with seven miniature donkeys. Yes I still have my horse but am boarding him where I train. Included in this post is a slide show of the interior of the home.
Tom and Sharon

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Timing Is Everything

Well it seems that when things start to happen they happen all at once. We have sold the ranch and if all goes through as planned we will be closing on it November 15. Since it is a cash deal there should be no problems. That is just 11 days before we leave for Arizona!

So, we now have 38 days to pack the RV for our trip, pack the rest of the house stuff in boxes to be stored in a storage trailer that will be parked at a friends ranch while we are gone, and find a house that we will move into when we return from Arizona the end of February!  It is kind of like what we did for six months between the time we sold our home in Prineville and were building our house at the ranch. Then we lived in a friend's bunkhouse part of the time and for several months in a 11 ft camper.

We have looked at several houses in the south of Redmond since we put our ranch on the market. Some have rented and some sold since then. We will be looking  seriously the next two weeks to find one that will be just right for us in this next season of our life adventure. Some of them have is RV parking right next to the house. If we get one of those we will park the RV at the house and live there until we leave for AZ on November 26th. It will give us some time to paint clean, etc. before moving in when we return.

Surgery Is Over

Sharon's gall bladder surgery is over and she is noticing a difference already. No more pressure in her upper abdomen after removing several one inch and bigger stones. Still has some pain and won't be riding her horse for another week or so but good to have it over with and no need to worry about an attack in the future. She is finding that it will take as much time as it needs to heal and that mind over matter won't get her back active any sooner. Patience is not her strong point.

Take Every Chance to Dance

This was shared by a friend and I really enjoyed it. I hope that you do to. Since we had just received news that two of our long time friends from Eugene, OR, had just died and another was diagnosed as terminal it was  a very timely reminder to "enjoy the moments".

"Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched ' Jeopardy ' on television?
I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because people cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet... We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord..

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butter fly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask ' How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away..... Life is not a race.  Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.


'Life may not be the party we hoped for.. but while we are here we might as well dance!"

Emma's First Day at School

Thursday, September 10, 2009

This was posted by my daughter Kim about our Granddaughter Emma's first day of Kindergarten. She tells about it much better than I could.

Sharon

To the moon and back...

September 10, 2009....Emma Shae Daniels steps foot into her first year of many in the public school system. And folks, she loves it. What about it does she love, you ask? Not all that sure. We only got a few details out of her. But when I threatened her with not returning if she didn't listen and behave, her eyes got all big and she begged me "NO!". Anyhow, here are the few details we did get out of her.

Nana: Did you have recess?

Emma: Yes....I mean no.

Dad: Did you read books

Emma: Yes. I dunno.
Mom: Did you make friends

Emma: One girl told me she liked my locket. She's five, when I told her I was five too she gave me a high five. She was wearing purple."

Mom: What was her name?

Emma: I dunno.

Neighbor (Bev): What's your name?

Emma: I dunno.

The day started with her crawling into bed with me at about 4:30 am. We both fell back asleep...my arms draped around my once wee babe turned 40 lb girl. I drifted back into that last hour of slumber praying for this first day of school to bring a smile to her face. I got up to shower, and midway into my morning routine heard her footsteps approach the bathroom....then her smiling face appeared. "It's gonna be a good day", I said. She dressed in the outfit that had been picked out for days, then looked at me, clad in stretch cotton capri's and an Oregon hoodie and says, "You going to wear that to walk me to school?" "Yes...", I said. "How about we look at your work clothes, " she says as she opens my closet. She presents me with one of my newer work shirts and instructs me to put it on. Mind you, SHE IS FIVE. And she already cares about my appearance. I am just thankful she did not order me to also wear my peep toe heels as I escorted her the three blocks to her new school.

We spend the walk holding hands, and getting a shout out from her dance teacher that lives nearby as she yells over the sound of school buses and such..."EMMA DANIELS....HAVE A GREAT FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL SISTER!". With each step, the realization is hitting me. My baby made it to another milestone. A milestone her big sister never reached. All parents are proud of their kids...I know that. But with each moment of pride, I also have a bittersweet moment. As we are walking she looks at all the cars and buses and says, "What are they doing?" I tell her they are bringing kids to her school. "No," she says, "Only me. My school." I laugh...."Do you want friends sister?!"

We get to the building and I am strategizing photo opportunities to distract me from the importance of this moment. I figure we will get a shot of her leaning up against the school sign, in front of the classroom, hanging up her backpack, etc. Suddenly her teacher, Mrs. Hunter (a familiar face - as she is the grandma of one of Emma's daycare friends) sees us, walks up and takes Emma by the hand. In a moment of weakness, and supreme trust....I let go. "C'mon Emma...lets go get in line", says Mrs. Hunter. And off she goes. I get no goodbye kiss. No hug. Emma has a somewhat confused look, but I think I am the one more stunned with the sudden goodbye. "Goodbye Em, I LOVE YOU," I yell amidst the buzz of elementary kids. And I walk away. Alone. One hand holding a camera, the other my cell phone, a heart holding pride...and eyes holding back tears. I call Rich to give him the play by play and distract myself from the events. "Did you cry?" he asks. "No," I say with a lump in my throat.

Three hours later I go to pick her up and she sees me and runs. "Mama!". At first I think she is crying, but upon getting her stunning freckled face directly in front of mine I see that it's pure joy. Not necessarily because she sees me, but because she appears to have just had an amazing time. At least I think so. I'm not so sure why. She gets a battalion of questions about her day from me, Rich, grandparents, neighbors. She claims to not know what she did today, but she loves it. And she wants to go back. And my dear girl, you will get to. And I hope I am as proud of you every September as I was this September.

I end the day with tucking her into bed and saying these words, "I love you to the moon and back Miss E." She smiles and says,"No you love me more." Yes, yes I do.

Inconvenient Health Maintenance

After several months of abdominal discomfort and pains in many different places around my tummy, I finally went to see my GP. A scan revealed that I have gall stones. So I am off to see the surgeon for a preliminary visit on Sept 9th. That is the earliest that he could see me. Maybe I can sell them the stones on EBay to finance our trip to AZ this winter. ?

I will baby this thing along so that I don't get a gall stone attack and have to have emergency surgery! I am being good about a low fat diet because I want to participate in the final two cutting shows on Sept 12 and 13th.

Any advice from any of you that have had gall bladder problems or surgery? How long did it take you to bounce back? My schedule is packed and I don't want to miss any of what I have planned.

Our ranch has been on the market for 2 1/2 months. Two couples have looked at it but not come back. We would really like to sell it before we leave for AZ. Prayers would be appreciated. I know it is all in God's hands but you know how I hate loose ends.

Reliving it all again

My daughter has two little girls, Emma, 5, and Sara, 3. Kim's blog is filled with little incidents that cause me to relive the wonderful years when she was a little girl. I thought I would share some of the really good ones with you.

 

No Feet talks, Mom...So, this weekend as I walked into Sara's room to put her to bed, I stepped down and felt something slither under my foot. YES...SLITHER. I jumped about 4 feet (that's high for me) and looked down to see nothing. Keep looking, while freaking out....still, nothing. Sara even laughed at me "Mama - why you jump and be all scared?". Because I am a good mom, I tucked her in and left the room. I figured whatever "it" was found a good home under her bed and we would tackle the job of finding "it" in the morning.
Next morning, I move the bed, look under toys, etc. and there is no snake to be found. I tell Sara I am looking for a snake and she says, "There's a snake sleeping under my bed?" with the excitement and enthusiasm of the Crocodile Hunter. She thought maybe it was the caterpillar she squished and then lost in the carpet over a week ago, who I am sure has been vacuumed up a time or two since she loved him to death. Then suddenly she tells me "Maybe it's No Feet?" For those not in the know, No Feet is the snake on her favorite cartoon Little Bear. She immediately scrunches up her face and says, "No....it can't be No Feet. No Feet talks, Mom. He would have said "ow" if you step on him." And that, my followers, is one of the many reasons why I love her so.

I will leave you with this, our nightly ritual as I tuck her in:
Sar Bear: "Mama, I love you sooooo much. I gonna love you forever."
Mama: "I love you too Sar Bear - I gonna love you forever. And do you promise to be my Sar Bear forever?"
Sar Bear: "Yes...but I am gonna get growed up. And Sar Bear is gonna love you forever."