The Beginning

The next steps in the journey can be found here......... Should Have learned This

Parting Gifts

Tomorrow, "our house" in Hawaii is officially sold.  I mean, it wasn't really "our house", but for 17 actual weeks of our life plus 3 years of thinking it was our house.  It has been our Hawaii house.

The couple has decided it's time to come to the mainland.  Even though, they have lived there for 40 years.  It was time for something new.  It was time for a new adventure.

For now, they are headed here.  To Denver.  To "their Denver house".

They are here, while we are gone.  One final swap.  Only we aren't headed to Hawaii, we are headed on our next adventure.  Keeping them as part of us, yet starting something new.

We spoke on the phone today, I was explaining how the heater worked.  As their house has no heat and they haven't stayed in their Denver house during the winter.  I explained, I keep the heat on low, but I sleep with the bedroom window open.  Feel free to adjust the heat.

"Of course, it could be 70 during the day - or Denver could get 4 feet of snow." She replies, "We are hoping for 70".  "Are you sure you guys know what you are doing coming back to have winter again?", I say.  She says,  "I know, I know, we have said that.".   We discuss the keys - where to leave them,  the return home and how we will handle the final car exchange.

They are going to head East on the day I return.  Not quite sure to an exact location yet, but a new direction. They will leave my car at the airport, texting me the location, locking the other keys in the car.  I will take my extra key.

Tonight as we finished cleaning and packing I put the keys in our usual place.  Locking the car in the garage.  But something was missing.

I just can't let you leave and go to your next journey without a parting gift.

What do you get someone whom helped changed the parameters of your life?  How do you say "Mahalo" (thank you in Hawaiian) to a family whom helped not only shape but grow yours?  How do you say good-bye?

A picture frame?  A candle?  A new key ring for the new keys in their life?

Nah, I did find something for the gift bag. I went and bought them both winter knit hats and two hand held ice scrapers for the car. The attached card:

"May you enjoy the next adventure of your life."

 Love Always,

 DNL

Cleaning

It's time to clean again.

As in CLEAN the house.  I'm not talking laundry, dishes, vacuuming.  You know the usual stuff.  For some, the daily stuff, or the weekly or the monthly.  Or in case of some people - the usual stuff before company comes over.

I mean CLEAN the house.  Dust the blinds.  Wash the window curtains. Move the furniture out of the way and clean the baseboards behind it.

We usually do this once a year.  I know the theory is better if you clean as you go.  That rule is applied USUALLY to dishes, projects and some landscaping activities.  For some reason, I don't have the "man I really need to clean the baseboard genes".  THANK GOODNESS.

However, when you start swapping your house.  When you start living in other peoples homes.  When you start letting people live in your home.  Well, you become aware, they might not be as "not CLEAN as you".  After all, you do want to make a good impression.

Or maybe, you want new friends and old friends and family to enjoy your house through perfect eyes.

Once you get cleaning, it's not hard.  In fact, it's easy to get a bet obsessive in thinking.  "This is NOT clean enough".

We clean before adventures around here.  Well, CLEAN before big adventures.  It's that time again.  We are cleaning.  Cleaning out the dust from the past.  The cobwebs and fur balls.  It's time for a clean slate.  Or at least a clean house.

 

Couponing

Coupons used to embarrass me as a child.  We didn't have any money and I thought by using coupons - people could tell we were poor.

But I was a child, and as children we don't understand saving money is saving money.  Especially, if you don't have any money to save.  Fundamentally it doesn't make sense.  How can I save money if I have NO money?

Then as a young adult - I began to understand sales and coupons.  Always buy something on sale.  There is nothing you HAVE to have today.  It will be on sale in a week.  I can save department store/specialty store coupons.  If I buy something online, I get to check out - then I open a new browser and go to Google.  Then you search "website I'm on coupons".  9 times out of 10 you can find a discount code.  Sometimes you have to scroll down a page or two - and try a couple of different codes.  But, I can always find an airlines code for some group (I got a 10% discount on our fares to Europe).  Meaning I saved us a couple hundred dollars - enough to pay for the hotel in London - which I found a 5% discount code - which pays for our train ride to Paris.......

So, I get the couponing thing.

What I can't do?  Is the grocery store coupon thing.

I've tried.

And tried.

And every once in a while, I remember a coupon in the bottom of my purse of something I'm buying, and can pull it out at the last second at the cash register.  I saved fifty cents.

The truth is, I'm not good with paper.  The computer has really helped me.  My organizational skills are not the best when it comes to paper.  Don't ask me to file for you.  You won't find the plumber filed under "B" for "Bill's Plumbing" - you also won't find it under "Household Repairs" you will find it in the P section for "Plumber".

Every once in a while, I try again.  I buy a Sunday paper - I look on the internet - I PRINT something out.  Then I have a big old pile of nothing in my purse.

Before recruiting went electronic, I filed resumes the same way.  Not by the persons names, but by the job they could do (hint hint  Plumber). ;-)

Google mail now allows you to search by keywords - it will pull up all e-mails with the keyword "plumber" in your mailbox.

One day, they will allow us to "file" all our coupons this way.  Until then, I can't coupon for food.

Series Finale Coming Soon

All good things must come to an end.

Things ebb and flow in life.  They don't keep going - unless you are in a stagnant pond.  Then there is no fresh water.  There is only moldy stuff growing there.  Unless it's from above. When the fresh water happens and comes, it will be good.

This trilogy is coming to an end.  I tend to do things in threes.  3 times in Myrtle Beach.  3 times in Port Aransas.  3 times in Kona.

I had to go to Kona to "get" my third child.  3 years is where I stay my best in one place. Or in series of threes.

So, this blog has taught me SOoooooo much about me.  I've also learned about you - my readers, my loyal companions too afraid to tell me whom you are, but like to have been a part of my journey.  But usually, I hang on to things too long.

This adventure is winding to a close.  A record must finally end.  A television series must wind to a close. Yes, we miss the characters.  We miss they are part of our lives.

BUT, you know that series on TV or book?  When they do a "spin-off".  "All in the Family" I still think has the number one number of spin-offs of all time!.  "Cheers" spun off "Fraiser."  I could go on and on.  We could look up shows from shows.

Of course, my favorite spin-offs was one of the secret "spin-offs" - no one really knew that Seinfeld was a spin off from "Mad About You".  Please forgive me if I get this all wrong - but the guy across the hall from "Kramer" moved out and "Jerry" moved in.

Then there is the book that tells you "this is a part of the DNL series".  Some of the same characters, but new stories.  A new plot.

So we are spinning off this blog, and more will be explained here in the next week.  But this adventure, is coming to an end.

Heads up.

A sick day

I can't remember the last time I had a fever.

I do remember having food poisoning a few years ago - that was dreadful.  It was a full twenty four hours before I even felt half way human.

I want a day, where I don't do anything.  I don't work.  I don't go the the gym.  I just am on the couch pretending to sleep.  Watching movies and bad television.

You know, those things you do when you are sick.  But really, I want to go play more than I want to watch tv all day.

But, today, I think I'm calling in sick.

I thought we were friends

Yesterday, I received a message from a guy I've worked with off/on for years.  The message states "Hey L, it's your friend Rob, call me.".  

I called him back today, stating:  "So, what's up with the "Your friend Rob"?  He replies, " Well, that is what you said in your message."  Hmmm.  "What are you talking about?".

You left me a message yesterday (we are doing some work together) and you said, "Hey, it's your friend L, call me. "

Really?

I don't normally mention "we are friends".  If I know you through work, I say, It' L, I'm the recruiter whom we have been e-mailing/phone tagging/texting/etc..".  This was just funny as I know him through work and we have known each other for over 10 years.  The only thing I could think of would be that I was in recruiter mode wanting to stay in that mode.

Too funny.

Although, the funeral I recently attended - my friend Leo calls to tell me about the death.  I never realized when he leaves me a message this is the message:  "Hey, it's your good buddy Leo" then it goes on with the message.  Like he needs to tell me he is my buddy.

A few years ago, Lily's dad was in Denver - on one of his three trips in 9 months to Denver - he was helping me repair things around the house.  We were talking about the kids.  On what they were really thinking when saw each other for the first time.  My thought  "What the hell is my mom doing now?"  My thought?  "Here are some new friends."  Lily's dad replied, "Friends you are going to have for the rest of your life."

I remember thinking, he really means that.  Not in a romantic sense.  He wasn't saying we would be together forever.  He was saying "THOSE PEOPLE" are friends you will have for the rest of your life.

I understand people change.  When I say, I hope we are friends for the rest of my life, I mean it.

The thing that makes me the saddest about my relationship with Lily's dad ending.  It's not the actually "see you next month" or "let's talk about football" or "how are you doing?"  It's the you told me we would be friends. It's the "I have friends from 30 years.".  I understand we don't need to talk with each other - you can stay with the woman whom doesn't want to be around your daughter and has made you stray from your core being.  You can stay there.  If the two of you are happy, I'm happy for you.

I miss the guy whom was in good shape.  Put his daughter and mother first.  A good role model for my sons. I miss him.  What I really miss is that I'm now short a friend.  When I say, "I hope we are friends for the rest of our life, well, I mean it."

Now we are just "those people" - and as your daughter will tell you, "Those people are my family".  We might not be family, but I thought we were friends.....