More early morning musings

I hope this isn't going to become a habit, writing in my journal at 2AM because I can't sleep. Writing is good, not sleeping is bad! My head is pounding and has been for a week and then I have a million racing thoughts to complicate matters. Sigh!

We learned tonight that Derek and Shelby are having a girl! A girl? This family doesn't know how to do girls! I have felt all along that they were having a girl though and as such have been perusing baby girl quilt patterns and even bought a cute diaper cover pattern a few weeks ago. This is exciting and my mind is whirling with the things I want to make and buy.  Finley has my whole heart right now but I know it will expand to let this little one in too! What a blessing for us all!

Chad has an interview in Oklahoma this week. Oklahoma? Yikes! Of course, I'd like all my kids to stay close but I know that's not reasonable. I hope he can find something to fulfill him. He's a talented and hard working guy and has a lot to offer. I have no doubt that he'll make his mark. I'm sure going to have a hard time saying goodbye to that little boy though if they move. Tending him three days a week had made him a huge part of our lives. Derek and Shelby will be moving within a year or two as well so Derek can complete a doctoral degree. What'll I do if all my boys and their families are scattered to the winds? Travel a lot I guess!

So many other things going through my mind but I really need to try to sleep. Perhaps I'll get back to writing about our quick weekend to Logan, the beautiful cake Doug made for me, MoTab concerts, successes/failures in diet and exercise, dinners with the kids, etc.

Birthday getaway and birthday cake

What a fun getaway we had for my (our) birthdays this year. We don't typically buy gifts for each other but prefer getaways, tickets to concerts, the theater, etc. This year we went to Logan to see three shows at the Utah Festival Opera. We learned, however, that two shows in one day was a little much and so next time if we want to see that many shows, we'll stay an extra night. I like how Logan does their shows in repertoire so that you can stay just a few days and see their whole lineup in the summer. On Friday we sat the matinee of Music Man with Vanessa Ballam as Marian. It was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. After the show we went to Gossner Cheese to stock up on cheese, to HuHot for a Mongolian BBQ dinner, and then up to Utah State University for some awesome Aggie ice cream. I love their pecan praline ice cream!  We enjoyed walking around downtown too and seeing the beautiful tabernacle and grounds.

That night we saw Madama Butterfly which is depressing and awesome all at the same time. It was very well done. We stayed at a Day's Inn in town; just a budget hotel because we'd spent plenty of money already on the tickets. The next morning we walked over to the farmer's market and got some yummy treats. There was a lady there selling stroopwaffels, which were awesome and reminded me of the ones we had in Amsterdam last year. We visited a few quilt shops (I have a long-suffering and patient husband) and a Hallmark shop where I found a Jim Shore Brazilian Santa Claus I had been looking for. Now I have one from each of the boys' missions.  The afternoon matinee on Saturday was Pirates of Penzance. Of course, we always love that show. We had a wonderful, if short, getaway and enjoyed being together. Home in time to get Doug to bed early before his early morning awakening for choir.

He made me a beautiful cake this year. Such a talented guy. The flowers (orchids) were beautiful and lifelike as were the roses. He spoils me so much. I think I shall keep him!

Early morning musings

I've got so many things running through my head that I can't settle down to sleep so I came downstairs where it's cool and hopefully after jotting down a few thoughts I'll be able to sleep.

I went into the dentist on Friday morning to have my crown cemented on again and got the bad, but not unexpected, news that the tooth isn't viable, can't be saved and I need another implant. Sigh! Besides the cost (our portion is around $3000-3500 after insurance), it's such a long and drawn out process, taking 9-10 months from extraction until the final crown is in place. That's a long time to go around with a missing tooth. Not looking forward to this extraction as the tooth broke off below the gum line which means he'll have to dig it out instead of just pulling it. Oi vey!  The dentist cemented the crown back on hoping to buy me some time but it fell off again last night. I'll try calling the oral surgeon in the morning but will be surprised if they're in the office with Tuesday being the holiday. I don't know how I'm going to schedule an extraction this month since we have so much going on and Doug has to be there so he can drive me home after the surgery. What a mess.

Dave came up for dinner tonight. We played Aggravation after dinner and before eating the cupcakes Doug made. Dave lives such a solitary life that he's glad to get out of the house and have something different to do. Greg and Kathy do so much to help him and I'm grateful to them for that.

I'm worrying about my kids tonight. I wonder if that ever goes away but I don't think it does. I wish I could make everything better with a hug and kiss like I used to be able to. I guess I just keep praying because I don't know what else to do. There are so many stresses and pressures in this world coming from all sides. I know we all put unreal expectations on ourselves and then feel discouraged when we don't reach those unreal goals.

Oh well, can't solve all the problems tonight. I need to look to the positives. One positive is that our little apricot tree was loaded this year. We were nervous after a snowstorm when the tree was in full bloom but we worried for naught.  Bottling fruit now takes me twice as long as it used to and I only get half as much done but it's still something I enjoy doing. As I stand at the sink I remember countless times standing with mom while we bottled apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, tomatoes, etc. So, while I'm preserving fruit this month, I'm also preserving memories!