Jennifer Apodaca's Blog, page 46

Friday Five

TGIF!! Lets dive right into sharing 5 random things about our week!

Our grandson Turbo had his school pics done and because I’m a grandma, I want to share one: Maggie has a really bad habit of running out the sliding glass door or screen to the back yard when it opens. So I’ve been breaking her of that. I had an epic and hilarious fail this week. Both the glass door and screen were closed, so I put her in a sit and opened the glass slider. I turned to her to check she was in position then turned back, and for some reason, she thought I’d released her. She ran smack into the sliding screen door that I hadn’t opened yet. I mean…seriously? How did she not see it? It popped off the track and both dog and screen were fine, but *I* clearly am failing at this little piece of training, LOL!  By the way, Maggie at first stopped, clearly confused, then a second layer she shook off the screen door and ran to check her lizard spots. The lesson in this story? Never let a little thing like a closed door stop you from your goal, LOLOL!We did our final walk through yesterday! The key things are getting done. There will be a few things will happen later, and that’s to be expected.The big news now — by the time this posts we will have signed the final docs for the new house! We’re doing it around 5 or 6 on Thursday evening, and I’m writing this blog right before that because who knows what might happen the rest of the night. We’ll either get the keys then, or sometime today (Friday). Either is fine and we are so danged happy! It has been a long haul, and there’s a lot more to do to get moved and settled, but YAY! We are thrilled!The plan is to spend the weekend doing things in the new house and packing more stuff in the old house, then on Monday morning the movers come. In all that chaos is Wizard’s 50th Reunion on Saturday night. It’s crazy that our move fell on the same weekend, when we bought the tickets, we thought we’d already be moved in. Anyhow, we will go if we can and it’ll probably be a nice break for us. I’m also taking Maggie to boarding Saturday afternoon and will pick her up Monday afternoon. That way we don’t have to worry about leaving her for several hours Saturday night and she’ll be out of all the moving commotion. I will take her to the hew house for a few hours while we’re doing things in there so she will be familiar with it, then when she comes back on Monday, all her stuff (and ours) will be there.

I probably won’t be able to post on Monday in the typical moving chaos and exhaustion, unless I get a burst of energy and post from my phone (we won’t have internet for a couple days).

So that’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Very Random Wednesday

So we’re just here waiting for the time and place to sign the docs on the house and close. Maybe. It’s a bit of a nail biter when people are waiting to the last second to do their jobs and then asking for things they’ve had for months, or suddenly don’t understand what they do have. But we are being patient and staying positive. Truthfully, we know everyone is trying, but they are all overworked and pressured beyond reason (in my opinion). Especially with some staff turnovers that have happened and that is likely the reason we’ve had to resubmit documents.

So will we close on time??? Even my crystal ball is fogged with confusion at this point. I should know by Friday’s post. What I do know is that we have to be out of this house by the end of the month. I’ve held onto my “Leo” temper for 8 months now, and I really don’t want to test it

Which reminds me of a totally unrelated story about my temper. I don’t usually yell, but I solve problems. Like the time a hospital threatened to “release” my mom who had three fractures in her spine. So I had taken her in and had to go home to get my kids from school. My sister left work early and went to be with her, when the hospital doctor told her they were sending my mom home. This is a typical tactic that I won’t get into here. but I was familiar with it. When my sister called me in a panic and told me that, my temper snapped. I told them to her to tell them to go right ahead and release her — I’d have a newspaper reporter and photographer (before cell phones and going “viral” was a big thing) waiting there to document it. My sister to her credit, trusted me and told them what I’d said. I wasn’t bluffing, I was royally pissed and I’d have done it in a heartbeat. Once my sister told them that, the hospital had an instant change of heart and did the right thing. That’s what my temper looks like when I’m pushed beyond my limits.

All that said, I believe being nice and listening to others gets more done in my experience. It also makes me like myself better Another part of that story with my mom — over the next months as my mom got sicker she had to go into a full time care facility. When she got scared, was in pain and couldn’t get help, she’d threaten with, “I’ll tell my daughter when she gets here.” Now my mom had a high pain tolerance and sometimes wouldn’t realize how much pain she was in until it was really bad. I knew this, so when I’d walk into that situation, it was easy to resolve because I had a good relationship with the nurses and staff there. I’d taken the time to get to know them, and since they dealt with older sick patients everyday, they’d taught me a lot about how to handle things. Being there often, along with being nice, kind and asking questions, solved way more problems then my losing my temper ever would have. These people took as good of care of my mom as they could in that kind of setting, and I made sure to appreciate that every single day. They’d call me when she had any issues no matter how small. They’d never have done that if I’d been a jerk to them.

Which has nothing to do with the house But I really do know everyone is trying hard, and I have faith it’ll all work out.  Probably!

Do you have any random thoughts you’d like to share?

The post Very Random Wednesday first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

The weekend came and went exactly as the calendar promised, and overall it was a good one for us. And it’s been nice weather!

Friday we had the walk through of the new house. There’s just a few minor things fixed or finished, and everything looks to be on schedule. We are excited about that, and going through pretty typical frustrations of trying to get various arms of the process to give us info or dates. That is very normal, but aggravating as one glitch can start the dominos of delay. But we are pretty confident that everything will happen as planned.

Saturday I went to Kohls and bought new towels for one bathroom. I couldn’t make a decision on colors for the second bathroom, LOL! I just stood there debating until I realized that the store would still be there after we moved in and I had a better feel for it. And because I wasn’t looking for clothes at all, I stumbled on three long-sleeved shirts I really liked and bought those. After than exciting excursion, I came home and packed. No matter how much we pack, the second we fall asleep, more crap materialized in the dark. It’s like ghosts are going to vampire garage sales and refilling our cupboards or something.

Sunday I did more endless chores then we took Maggie to Home Depot to buy granite sealer. Maggie was so intrigued by the huge Halloween witches and  other assorted characters that were inflated and talking. People were watching her staring at the decorations and trying to figure out if they were friend or foe. It was my laugh for the weekend! Plus it got her out of the house too.

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five!

TGIF! Time to share five random things about our week. Here’s mine:

This afternoon we’re doing the walk through on our new house. It’s finally happening after 8 months!We went to see Wizard’s mom this week. Maggie was thrilled! We sat out in her backyard and she ran around to her heart’s content. She was rolling on her back in the grass, and my mother-in-law noticed. Maggie kept doing it, then she’d lift her head and check to see if my mother-in-law was watching her. The dog is ridiculous. But I also love that Maggie can give my mother in law a bit of joy. Being 90 comes with challenges, but Maggie doesn’t care of my mother-in-law doesn’t remember her name or some silly little detail, and I think that gives my mother-in-law some relief. (And I’d just like to say, that I hope I’m in as good of shape physically as my mother-in-law is if I hit the major milestone of 90!)The weather has cooled! The last two days we haven’t had to not run the air conditioning. It’s been nice to air out the house (even if we’re moving soon!). Plus it should help the electric bill.Yesterday I spent time with my sister, because…we are never too old to need our sister. Also, I wanted to buy gorilla glue and she found it for me in Target! My sister has skills This weekend, part of a freeway near us will be closed, which makes it a lot harder to get places like where two of our kids live. We have a lot to do around the house, packing is endless (and unpacking will be the same!), so that’s not too big a deal.

So that’s my kind of lame five, now I’d love to hear about your exciting week! I hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

The post Friday Five! first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Wednesday Fun — Missing Muse Report

This blog is one I originally wrote for the MurderSheWrites blog back in 2008. I’m posting it again just for fun

Missing Muse Report

Do you guys ever have one of those days where your muse isn’t cooperating? This blog is a parody I wrote about that frustrating feeling a while back for another blog. It’s from a police detective’s POV.

MISSING MUSE REPORT
12, MAY 2008
DESCRIPTION: SLIPPERY AND SNEAKY
STATUS: NO FREAKING IDEA

Monday morning, at eight oh four a.m., a woman came into the precinct. She wore jeans and a t-shirt with the words, I Kill for Chocolate, written across her chest. In a clearly agitated state, she reported that her Muse is missing.

“When was the last time you saw her?” I inquired.

“Never. I’ve never seen that hussy. She’s like smoke. Well not smoke because that would suggest fire. And trust me, I have not been on fire. So she’s like fog, except not fog. Fog is not the right word to describe her. Dry ice? Still not the right word to describe her. Okay, uh, let me think. Do you have a thesaurus?”

Feeling a headache coming on, I said, “Let’s skip the description. What is your relationship to Muse?”

“Hot and cold. No, too bland. Fire and ice? Friend and foe? No! No more clichés! My relationship to Muse is complicated. Like a cat! Yes, she’s sort of like a cat, friendly and sweet sometimes, then aloof and bitchy other times. Like a cat.

I realized I was bobbing my head back and forth like I was watching a tennis match. I tried to recap what the woman had said, “Muse is a cat? Ma’am, this is a police station. We don’t look for missing cats.”

“My Muse is not a cat! Where would you get such an idea? I said she’s like a cat. That’s a metaphor. Well I said like, so it’s actually a simile. But not a cat.”

I turned to look at the woman fidgeting on the chair facing my desk. “Have you been drinking?”

“Sure. Absolutely. I’ve tried it all. Wine, gin tonics, coffee and Kahlua, I still can’t find Muse! This morning, I woke up at 3 A.M. I meditated. I did Yoga. I lit candles. I asked my Higher Self for guidance. I downed two pots of coffee! And I still can’t find that sneaky, double-crossing, word-tease, idea-slut, anywhere!”

I had enough. “Let me get this straight. You are reporting Muse missing, but you can’t describe her, have never seen her and you look for her by doing Yoga, lighting candles and drinking coffee?”

“Yes! Exactly!”

“Ma’am you do realize this is a police station? That it’s a crime to make a false report?”

Her blue eyes lit up, she sat forward and put her arm on my desk. “Do you get a lot of false reports? I mean what kind of person makes a false report?”

He opened his mouth, “Well…”

“A desperate person, maybe a woman who can’t tell the truth, but—”
She stood up. “Thank you!”

“Uh, for what?”

She frowned, her blue eyes studying him as if he were a little dim. “Haven’t you been listening? I lost my Muse. Now I found her. You people do good work. Later.”

I watched her bounce out as if she were twenty pounds lighter. “What just happened?”

The post Wednesday Fun — Missing Muse Report first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Weekend Roundup

We had a pretty good weekend aside from the thunderstorms/humidity. It’s supposed to dry out this week, and my hair is very excited about that, LOL. So are my joints.

Saturday we had CPA Boy, Special K and Turbo over, and had so much fun, probably for the last time in this house. The guys and Turbo went in the pool and were surprised that it was almost cold. The water has been about 88 to 90 degrees for weeks, but in the last two days, it dropped significantly. It didn’t bother Turbo any as he showed off his learning-to-swim skills. After that, Wizard made his special smoked hamburgers, we had ice cream then we walked over to the elementary school so Turbo could ride his bike. That bike is a hand me down that his other grandpa fixed up for him and put on training wheels, which makes it even more special as he learns to ride.

While at the school, Turbo saw a picture of the school mascot — a dinosaur. So he decided it must be a school for dinosaurs (obviously!) and we looked for them everywhere. We never did find them, but we got to see the field where the dinosaurs play soccer The image of dinosaurs playing soccer cracked me up. I love this age!

Sunday was a bit quieter. And it was 9/11 which is a sober memory.

The movers are scheduled for two weeks from today! Hopefully all goes as planned and we get the keys the Friday before that.

How was your weekend?

The post Weekend Roundup first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF! That feels a little weird to say when there’s a tinge of sadness around the world today with the passing of the Queen of England. She was a woman who wielded power and influence with grace, dignity and a steadfastness that I grew to admire more and more over time. She lived a long and amazing life, and deserves to go onto her peace with other loved ones who are waiting for her.

Shifting gears here, lets jump into sharing five random things about our week. Here’s mine where I will try NOT to mention (as in whine about) the weather

Wizard broke a tooth a couple weeks back. The temporary has fallen out twice. Poor guy has to keep going back. He should get the permanent in Monday. He’s not in pain or anything, it’s just been annoying and adding to the running around.Speaking of Wizard, he’s so patient on the big stuff, and we’ve had a lot of that lately. But little stuff sends him into Ranty McRanter. Yesterday I saw an email to both of us regarding the house stuff, he asked me to read it so I began. I didn’t get halfway through reading before he began a verbal tirade, stormed into another room and closed the door. When he came out, he was still ranting. I’m not laughing….LOLOLOL!! You just had to be there. I handed him a glass of wine and nodded my head a lot while he worked his way through his tirade. A couple hours late, I began teasing him about his tantrum and he laughed at himself.  We both tend to lose it on the dumb stuff to release stress. I wasn’t the least bit upset, just amused. All that said, he worked hard together the info needed. I told him I’d do it, but he’s better at it and we both know it.Last Friday, I had my eye exam. All is good, but I need new glasses because my right eye has changed. I hate choosing glasses. It gives me anxiety, partly because the complexity of my prescription requires a big size lens area so that really limits what I can choose. I just went with a tortoise shell frame this time. Shrug. I mostly just use them at night anyway so I have no idea why I stress about it at all. Hopefully they will be ready in the next couple weeks.We drove a ways to go to a place that only sells barstools and dining tables to find stools for the island in the new house. This is odd for us because we normally buy cheap stuff from discount places. But we want specific kinds of comfort, stability and accessibility. After scouring twenty two thousand stools (okay maybe 50), we both loved one and only one stool. I did have one concern as the cushion is almost white, and you know, its are going to stain in ten minutes. But then we discovered that one advantage of buy expensive (to me!) stools, the cushions are easy to take off then recover or replace, so that was a huge bonus for me. We bought them and now can’t wait to put them in the house! This sounds like a small thing, but it’s something both of us cared a lot about. We want people to be able to sit comfortably at the counter and hang out while we’re doing our thing in the kitchen. Or we can eat there, work on our laptops, or wherever.My reading can be eclectic. I’m currently reading a book on Winston Churchill and WWII and also listening to a book on self improvement and hustling by — wait for it — 50 Cent (AKA Curtis Jackson). The book on Churchill I chose because I was restless and wanted a reading challenge. I was frustrated by light books that turned whiny and dumb at the halfway point (FYI endless whiny exposition will make me hate the heroine and not care of about the characters or their conflicts). I’m enjoying the book on Churchill, although it’s a slow read. The one by Curtis Jackson was recommended to me, and I am  enjoying learning about lives outside of my own experience. But I’m the first to admit I can read a wide range of unexpected things.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a good weekend!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

I’m Here!

Hey I didn’t mean to disappear! So I had a post for Monday set, but it didn’t post and I didn’t realize it until late in the day. Then Tuesday my website went down due to a technical problem with my server, so I couldn’t get a blog up for today. But now my website it back and I’m here!

The weeks have been a bit turbulent lately due to some stress or illnesses with people we love. Wizard and I are fine though. However, we’re distracted or running around a lot these days. That’s one of the reasons I hadn’t even checked until late Monday to see if my blog had posted.

In better news, we got in to see our house yesterday! Both Wizard and I are very happy. It still needs a few things; a few cabinet doors, the oven and cooktop installed (they have it already), and some final touches here and there. But it all looks on schedule for now. One of the big things we were worried about was the floors. Like most people, we live on a budget and couldn’t afford the floors we’d hoped for. That’s not a big deal in the scheme of things, but our choices were so limited we were worried we’d hate it. However, we were pleased and relieved. Now we can wait until we can afford floors and not be upset that we bought a new house and hate the floors. And after all the granite agony, we’re happy with the look of it!

We really needed that little lift yesterday. Especially with the oppressive heat.

So how are you?

Happy Wednesday!

The post I’m Here! first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

Friday Five

TGIF! Let’s jump into sharing 5 random things about our week. Here’s mine:

The heat is on! It’s been around 110 degrees. On the upside, we had a couple dryer days, and my hair loved that. But the humidity is returning. Fire season is ramping up too, although thankfully, we haven’t had the Santa Ana winds yet. We had one bad fire this week pretty far north of us, and several firefighters ended up hospitalized for heat related problems. That’s a little scary.Early Thursday morning I saw a cricket in the house, but it disappeared before I could get it. I looked and looked. Then in the late afternoon, the cricket turned up nearly dead by the back door. I’m pretty sure a certain innocent looking puppy is responsible for his condition. Maggie loves things that hop…until they don’t hop anymore. But at least I don’t have to wonder where that cricket is now!It’s September and the house is supposed to be ready toward the end of the month! Wizard and I started working on an estimated budget for things like window coverings, some furniture we’ll need and doing the outside. We were using the SWAG Budgeting Method. SWAG stands for Scientific Wild Ass Guess It was fun and we’re getting excited again, rather than feeling stuck in a holding pattern which is nice. I’m pretty sure at least half our list is a wish list, LOL. And yes, I know lists and budgets are weird to some people. But it helps us prioritize what we really need to do to make the house functional and comfortable, and the rest of the stuff can wait until we can do it.We went to Costco yesterday. Wizard NEVER EVER EVER wants me to go to Costco by myself.  And before anyone things Aw, he’s trying to help or he’s protective. You’d be right if you’re thinking about our budget Once we get into Costco, he suddenly race walks like it’s an Olympic event. I mean, I blink and suddenly we’re standing in line to check out. Everywhere else we go, including the grocery store, I try to get him to move faster. But in Costco? The man can win the gold medal! I’m not sure why he thinks I’ll spend more $$ in Costco, but it’s become a family joke.Today I’m getting my eyes checked (boring) and I need to go check on Phoebe as her parents are working, and that’s fun for me. She’s so easy to take care of, and makes me feel like a hero for stopping by to see her.

That’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours! I hope everyone has a great weekend and a fantastic labor day on Monday (for those in the U.S.)!

The post Friday Five first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.

How Phoebe Got Her Happily Ever After

From one of my grand dogs, Phoebe.

When your mom and dad go on vacation and leave you behind:

Okay, truthfully, I’m having an amazing time. My mom’s friend is staying with me, and we played so much! Then my mom’s friend had to go to an event and my grandma came over to feed me so I had to play with her too cuz grandma’s get their feelings hurt if we don’t play with them, right?

Then I ate dinner and got soooo tired.

If you’re all wondering, my name if Phoebe and I’m a goofball Golden Retriever and fierce lizard/gopher hunter. I used to live with other people, but then they got tired of me when I started to cost them money for medical care and wanted to put me to sleep. I didn’t understand what I did wrong or why they didn’t want me anymore.

Don’t be sad though! No really, this story has the best ending ever. It turns out my “real” mom worked at the place my other people took me to put me to sleep. My “real” mom couldn’t let them do that because I’m too special. I know because she told me so. My “real” mom paid for the surgery I needed, and now I’m living with my “real” mom and dad, and they base their entire life around me. They never get mad at me or try to get rid of me if I get sick either.

So what do you guys think of my Happily Ever After Story? My grandma tells me you all like Happily Ever After stories and so I just had to tell mine!

P.S. From Jen: So I’m butting into Phoebe’s story to add in something here. Yes my daughter-in-law took on Phoebe and paid for her care. But I, and she, have both seen cases where owners truly can’t afford to care for a beloved animal any longer due to a change in their situation. I don’t actually know if that was the case here, but I saw heartbreaking cases when I worked at the animal shelter decades ago and my daughter-in-law saw sad situations where she worked too. We don’t always know people’s circumstances, so I’m not judging, I just let Phoebe tell her story here   Happy Wednesday!

The post How Phoebe Got Her Happily Ever After first appeared on Jennifer Lyon.