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Monday, November 26, 2018

Wow that was a month! Now to get back on track without getting bored.

Last night I fell asleep at 8:30 and slept until 5:30 this morning. Tired physically and emotionally after the ups and downs of the month so far. So glad there were the happy times to balance out.

In summary:

11/4 - My 91 year old FIL died with Hubby holding his hand.
11/5 - We started dealing with his apartment, funeral arrangements, financial items, etc.
11/8 - The S Cal fire nearest us started and we left home to stay with our son and DIL. Good evacuation decision making and packing practice.
11/9 - My FIL's funeral and the family gathering after which was very nice
11/10 - We came back home after the fire moved away from our development
11/15 - We briefed the dog sitter and then drove to Berkeley and gave ourselves plenty of breaks including a walk on the Pismo Beach pier and lunch at the Honeymoon Cafe where we usually stop with the dog.
11/16 - Babysat an almost 2 year old granddaughter as her day care closed due to the N Cal fire air quality issues
11/17 - Helped set up for 2 year old's birthday party
11/18 - Said party
11/19 - Drove home and dog was happy to see us but had also made friends with the sitter - yeah!
11/20 - Vet for monthly treatment, laundry & groceries for us and Thanksgiving dinner
11/21 - Cleaned house, prepped for overnight guests & made birthday dinner for Hubby. He played pickleball and then went to Whole Foods and picked up the precooked turkey and side dishes.
11/22 - Thanksgiving which was very nice
11/23 - Hung out with guests (son and DIL). Went to FIL's apartment to remove a cabinet we are keeping and send other furniture off with others. More was able to be passed on than we had anticipated - yeah.
11/24 - Farmer's market with guests & cleaned house. DH finished emptying FIL's apartment, turned in the keys and paperwork, and brought home 4 large boxes of photos.
11/25 - Laundry, sorted and shredded FIL's papers, & did some furniture rearranging and setting up of CD player - yeah for music on demand.

Notice there is no exercise listed as I rarely made it to yoga or did my at home version. There was some dog walking, lots of housework and event prep, lots of standing, lots of eating and lots of wine LOL. Books read were of the mindless cozy mystery kind and not very many.

So it was a lovely family filled month. A month of new memories. A sad month. A scary month. An unusual month. We managed some good laughs along the way and talked quite a bit about our parents who are all gone now.

I am hoping to use this last week of November to reset a bit to a new, albeit temporary, normal.

Yoga is a priority and I have it down for 2 days a week. Longer walks with the dog too. Perhaps even revisit the gym?

I should take a wine hiatus. I didn't drink at all for over 2 years back in my mid 50's after I suffered acute heart failure. I'm fine now but just mentioning that the will power is there.

I have 2 commitments in December plus family Christmas, but am going to put off the larger issues of transitioning the Pet Club leadership and trying to sell the Women's Club parlor grand player piano until after New Year's.

So I have to make a hot vegetable side dish for 30 people for the December Women's Club luncheon. Any ideas??? I'm thinking some kind of glazed carrots?

Then there is the Pet Club Holiday Dinner Party. It is rather like herding cats at the moment but there is a team on it. Again some cooking - 3 dozen cookies. No decision here yet.

Christmas is pretty low key. First there is a DIL's birthday gift to sort - must get son to send some ideas. Then there is the rest but we are all simplifying. We will exchange stocking stuffer gifts with the local son and DIL on Christmas morning and attend their Christmas Eve dinner. Probably sleep over too. The other son & DIL will be down for New Year's and to see the Rose Parade so we will exchange small gifts with them and our granddaughter on New Year's Day.

Whew, I feel better getting that all out!

6 comments:

  1. Glazed green beans with bacon and pearl onions or onion bits.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Family can be exhausting and emotionally draining ... but it's all worth it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely. This particular constellation of events with the fires thrown in was just a bit too much.

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  3. It's amazing sometimes to look backyard and see what life delivered, isn't it? I guess the lesson is to keep moving forward when life gets difficult, because the lows don't seem to last, and the highs do come along eventually.

    I continue to extend my condolences at the loss of your FIL. And honestly, I would hope for nothing more at the end of my life than to be surrounded by family, so my heart warms that your father-in-law had his with him as he passed. Virtually hugs to you both, Juhli.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. We are both so happy that he isn't struggling any more.

      Delete

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