Saying Goodbye to April

Hi, everyone!

First of all, let me say I'm sorry I didn't get around to visit everyone who commented on my Saturday 9 post. I only did it because I thought I'd have time...I'll get to that story. This weekend has just been crazy busy.

Saturday dawned gray and damp, but warm. I was out the door by 9:30 to make the hour-long drive to pick up the client I was taking to the Very Special Prom. We were the first to arrive by a few minutes even though the drive back was just as long since the prom venue is just half a mile from my house. We checked in and waited patiently for the doors to open, visiting with others. Guests entered the prom in the order they arrived because each special guest got introduced as they entered and walked the red carpet to applause from the "paparazzi."

The red carpet and some of the waiting "paparazzi."

Once inside the female guests found volunteer hairstylists and make-up artists waiting to work their magic.

My client looked beautiful already but enjoyed the pampering.

After getting the royal treatment guests were free to enjoy the food, visit with friends, dance to the music provided by our awesome DJ, Barnacle Benny, and have portraits taken in front of the green screen (sea life added by computer). The decorations were amazing. As Donna, the woman from my church in charge of them, said..."I've had this planned for four years so there was plenty of time to tweak it." This was to have been the 2020 prom, but we all know how that year went.

Here are some of the faces I know and love from work (it's okay...the photos will be up on Facebook and the video on YouTube soon from those in charge of the event).

All went well and I got my client home safe and sound and was home a little after 4:00 to enjoy going for pizza with Tim and our grandson.

At 6:00 I received a phone call from one of the organizers who was in a panic. A man who is a client (not of mine, but I know him) showed up without a caregiver (an absolute written-in-stone MUST) because he wanted to be with his girlfriend. He had paid someone to drive him there and drop him off. He lives in senior housing and is mostly independent so it's hard to get him to play by the rules. He is a nice enough guy and not dangerous or anything, but the organizers couldn't be responsible for him and they were afraid they wouldn't be able to get him to leave when the prom was over (did I mention there are always two proms, an early and a late one?). Since I knew him I agreed to go back to the prom and deal with him. It was tough to convince him to call for his ride but he finally did and he left right on time. Whew! 

Today I went to church where the theme was about everyone being fearfully and wonderfully made and they showed a quickly thrown together video from the prom (not the one that will make YouTube). There were also two separate missionaries speaking before Pastor's message about everyone having worth. Thank goodness we have a system in the nursery that allows us to listen in because I was taking my turn in there today and the twin girls who were there are firmly in the stage of wanting only their mom. They cried so hard and never stopped until they fell asleep. After that it was just a matter of my teenage assistant and I rocking them until Mom came back.

I got home from church in time to go with Tim to meet up with his sister and her husband for lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It was good to see them. She is the sister that is my age and we haven't seen her face to face since her cancer diagnosis. We have been staying away lest we take any germs to her...with the kiddos here all the time you never know. She is doing very well and they have cut her chemo dose in half and she was feeling strong enough to take the chance. After dinner with them we did a bit of grocery shopping before coming home. We weren't home long before our daughter and the grands knocked on the door and stayed to visit us for a while.

So, yeah, it's been busy. I didn't even get laundry done or the kitchen cleaned up. I need a vacation to catch up on my chores!

That's all that's happening around here. I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed week.

And remember: 

Everyone is special so make someone feel special today!

Saturday 9: Promises, Promises

Saturday 9: Promises, Promises (1983)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, Naked Eyes lead singer Pete Byrne admits he believed his girl's promises, right from the start, but now he knows he should have been more careful with his heart. Do you consider yourself more trusting or skeptical?  If you've never given me a reason to doubt you I will always give you the benefit of the doubt, but betray me and regaining my trust will be a hard road.

 

2) He looks back on when he and his girl laughed like kids. When did you recently literally laugh out loud (opposed to keystroking LOL)?  Today (Friday) at work. We have a LOT of fun where I work. I laugh every day.

 

3) He accuses her of not being able to finish what she starts. How about you? Do you finish what you start, or can you think of projects that you're unlikely to ever complete?  I have a whole closet full of unfinished crafts and projects. Sigh.

 

4) Naked Eyes was a British New Wave band who had four Top 40 singles, including "Promises, Promises." They never toured 40 years ago because it was difficult to recreate their synthesizer-driven sound onstage. Is there a band or singer you would have liked to have seen perform live, but never did?  John Denver. His music has always spoken to my childhood experience. When I hear his songs it instantly takes me back to the 70's and the years my family lived in a wildlife preserve.

 

5) While "Promises, Promises" is about an untrustworthy lover, Peter Byrne says he and bandmate/cowriter Rob Fisher worked well together because they knew they could trust one another professionally. By sharing honest assessments of creative ideas, they knew Naked Eyes would never put out "rubbish." If you want an honest opinion on something important, where do you turn?  Probably my daughter. She tends to be bluntly honest so there's no chance of her glossing over something. 

6) Madonna was a Naked Eyes fan. Are you a Madonna fan?  I was a fan when her first album came out, but not so much with each successive album and not at all now.

7) In 1983, when this song was on the radio, the Lotus 1-2-3 program made it easier for PC users to build spreadsheets. Are you answering these questions on a PC or a Mac? Laptop or desktop? Android or iPhone?  Laptop

 

8) Also in 1983, America West Airlines took off for the first time, taking passengers from Las Vegas to Phoenix. Where did you go on your first flight? What about your most recent flight?  My first flight was a sightseeing trip in a small single engine plane with a friend of my parents who was a pilot. My most "recent" flight was in 2002 when I flew to New Mexico on a missions trip.

9) Random question -- Finish this statement: If I knew then what I know now, I would have ______________.  Gone back to college and completed my degree. I was trying for a different position with my current employer and was told today that I'm no longer being considered because my college transcripts were 5 credit hours short. I'm not heartbroken or anything as I wasn't even sure I really wanted the job, but....yeah, I wish I had my degree.

Thanks to Crazy Sam for the music and questions.

Play along here.

A Quick (for me) Thankful Thursday

This week is cram-packed with things to do so I don't have a ton of time to make my thankful list, but I sure don't want to skip it. Please excuse the quick bullet points.

This week I am thankful for...

• Beautiful sunny afternoons to enjoy time with the grands.
• My pretty new nails (my first set of fakes ever) for the Very Special Prom.
• I haven't messed up any of my new nails or popped one off.
• Tim cooking dinner on his new wood pellet grill.
• Manageable foot pain this week.
• Life being so busy and full.
• A letter from my father...and the news that his wife is home and making  progress after having a stroke last month.
• Co-workers who make me laugh.
• An unexpected tax refund.
• It's my favorite night of TV. (Swamp People and Serpent Invasion)
• College transcripts that arrive before next week's interview.
• Figuring out today that my daughter works with the daughter of the woman I drive home from work every day...and she isn't one of the people my daughter has had problems with.
• An invitation to dinner on Sunday with Tim's sister and her husband. She's the one with cancer. We haven't seen her face to face in months.
• All of you sweet readers and friends!

Currently

I am...

Reading: The True Love Bookshop, Somerset Lake #3 by Annie Rains

Listening to: Mariachi music in preparation for next week's "big" Cinco de Mayo/New Mexico day at work.

Loving: the cute new tie-dye tunic I ordered from Amazon 

Thinking: about the letter I received from my biologic father...his urging to attend his family reunion this summer...his sudden sense of not having a lot of years left

Feeling: blessed

Celebrating: all the generous support for A Very Special Prom, the prom for those with special needs this coming weekend...I will be going as a caregiver for someone from my work...excited to be a part of it for the first time

Grateful for: my husband

Enjoying:  everything about life right now

Weather:  cloudy and 40 degrees

A quote I want to share: 

Saturday 9: I Won't Be the One to Let Go

Saturday 9: I Won't Be the One to Let Go (2002)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Barbra Streisand begins by singing about dreams and wishes. What are you wishing for this morning?  I'm doing this Friday evening, but what I'm wishing for is that the all-day rains predicted for tomorrow don't happen.

2) Barry Manilow sings that "anytime you need me, you'll know where I am." If a friend needs you, what's the best way to reach you (text, phone call, email, knock on the front door ...)?  All of those are probably pretty much equal. The only one that wouldn't get a quick response is an email.

 

3) Both of this week's artists are from Brooklyn. In addition to Barry and Barbra, Brooklyn is home to Coney Island, where America's first roller coaster debuted in 1884. Do you enjoy amusement park rides? If yes, do you have a favorite?  I used to love amusement park rides and was up for nearly anything. I'm not quite the fan I used to be because the whipping and jerking around hurts more than thrills. 

As a kid, my favorite ride was The Ultimate Ride at Conneaut Lake Park. They took a Mad Scrambler and put it in a room that was only a foot or two wider than the ride and had low ceilings. The room (walls, floor and ceiling) was painted black then had mirrors and designs painted on in black-light paint. It was air-conditioned and when the ride started the lights went out except for black lights, strobes, and other disco type lights. Then they went and played the best rock music of the day. LOUD. The line was always long, but the ride lasted nearly 10 minutes. It was awesome!

4) Barbra and her husband, actor James Brolin, have lived in the same Malibu home for more than 25 years. How long have you been in your current residence? Do you think you'll be moving anytime soon?  On July 4th we will have lived here for 29 years. No plans to move.

5) Barry Manilow once lived in luxurious Bel Air. His neighbors were former President and Mrs. Reagan. At first he thought it would be great to have the Reagans nearby but quickly changed his mind because he disliked the Secret Service helicopters flying overhead. Tell us about one of your neighbors. (No pressure; we don't expect to hear about historic figures.)  I live in the same neighborhood I grew up in. My daughter lives on side of us. My mom lives behind us. My best friend from school lives two houses away. All of the immediate neighbors beyond that have lived here all my life. As a kid I knew them too well to call them Mr. and Mrs. and called them Aunt or Uncle (insert their first name). Most are either Hungarian or Polish and good working class folks. It makes me sad that probably within the next 5 years or so most of them (with the exception of my mom, daughter and bestie) will probably be gone.

 

6) As a teenager, Barbra worked as a switchboard operator. Her job consisted of connecting calls by inserting phone plugs into the appropriate jacks. As telephoning became automated, these jobs were phased out and by 1983, the switchboard operator was obsolete. Can you think of another occupation that used to be common but doesn't exist anymore?  Elevator operators and milkmen.

7) Loyal Fanilows can subscribe to ManilowTV. For $9.95/month, fans can watch exclusive content, like interviews and concert performances. Do you more often watch live broadcast TV or streamed content?  Probably an equal mix. We have Hulu Live for regular broadcast TV but also stream Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Paramount+, Discovery+, HBO, and lots of the freebies like Tubi and Plex.

8) In 2002, the year this recording was released, the Sears Wish Book offered seven different collectible Barbies. According to Mattel, the doll's manufacturer, there are more than 100,000 Barbie collectors all over the world. Do you collect anything?  Books, Christmas brooches, Navajo pottery, and dog figurines.

9) Random question: Are you exclusively an online/ATM bank customer, or do you often go into the branch and interact with a teller?  I am a mix of online/ATM and the drive-thru window. I can't really say going to the drive-thru is terribly interactive. The tellers barely say hello when they begin the transaction or "Have a nice day" at the end.

Thanks, as always, to Crazy Sam for the music and questions! If you'd like to play along, click here.

An Update

Just a quick pop in to let you know...I have an interview for the other position at work on Monday, May 1. Keep it in prayer, please?

Thankful Thursday

I'm sitting here at the end of the day enjoying a bit of television before bed and just feeling quite content. There is so much to be thankful for this week. Here are just a few of those things.

** No snow and the frost was not too heavy during the latest cold snap. We have returned to beautiful warm weather.

** The young man at the gas station who came out to help me figure out why the gas pump was not pumping. And then stayed to fill my gas can and lift it into the trunk.

** Buying Tim's wood pellet grill on Sunday and getting a discount because the display one was the only one they had (bonus, we didn't have to put it together)...then seeing on Monday that they got several more in stock.

** The first burgers of the season grilled on the new grill. Yummy!

** Watching the grandchildren's joy as they drove their Power Wheels around and around from their house to ours and back again.

** The bathroom vanity I've been waiting 3 years to find was delivered today. Sadly, that particular project, being an indoor one, will probably have to wait until fall so that outdoor projects can be done. 

** My new Orthofeet shoes were pretty comfortable after wearing them all day yesterday. It wasn't on the factory floor, which may be a different story, but any shoe that gets me through a normal day is also a good shoe (one that will get me through my one day a week on the factory floor will be a MIRACLE). Plus, I love that the shoes are super cute even if they are orthopedic.

** No news about the other position I put in for at work, but I'm okay with that. God will open that door if it's meant to be. In the meantime I am happy where I am.

** A growing work friendship with a guy in my department. Our groups are seated together a couple days a week and having someone to talk with and get silly with sure helps the time pass quickly. He has also given me valuable insights into how to deal with things at work and he is the one who recommended me for the other position. 

No worries or warnings about being friends with a man in the workplace. He is married...to a man. That is not a concern here. And we sometimes talk of deeper things so maybe I can show him that church people are not as awful as he thinks.

** One sweet client who I've only worked with once. He is non-verbal and very limited in what he can do, but I always take the time to say hello and give him a hug when I see him. Today when I said hello he reached out and grabbed my hand to pull me close then wrapped both arms around me and just squeezed me tight. I just love moments like that, when they let you know how much you mean to them. I wish I could give them all miracles.

Some of the sweet folks I work with every day.

** All the beautiful spring colors as the trees and flowers bloom. Hard on the allergies, but sooooo pretty!

** Getting the new printer set up and installed with minimal trouble.

** All of you, of course!