Aunt Margaret

I was thinking about Aunt Margaret as I crossed the I-74 bridge, coming home from the airport last night...don't know why. Brian's been working on a poem that I just read a draft of and was wondering about the stories I shared at the funeral. I don't know what I did with the Hertz contract I wrote them on, but here's what I remember. I asked for happy memories from her siblings, and added some of mine and finished with Kelli's.

Mine: Her being in the car (debate about whose car) with me the VERY first time I drove. I know it was her and not mom or Aunt Lee Lee in the passenger seat because I know that I passed a car on the 2-lane county road we were on going from White Hall back to Waller. I remember her coaching me through that.

Aunt Lee Lee: shopping at SAM's club to buy toilet paper and them joking that if they didn't have to wipe their asses they wouldn't see each other (cleaned up because you can't say 'wipe their asses' in a Catholic church apparently)

Aunt Monnie: about how she got to be in the delivery room when Kyle was born and how happy she was to be a part of that moment

Uncle Jimmy: about how he had worked for the phone company for years and was always known as Pousson until aunt Margaret started working there and instantly became "Margaret's brother"

Uncle Jay: how he was often her chaparone on trips to the beach, charged with protecting her from the boys in the neighborhood

Dad: I can't remember what Dad's was. I can't remember if Dad actually gave me one, or if I supplied him with one about going to the farmer's market...damnit. Mom, do you remember?

Kelli: she asked Aunt Anna Marie what Momo was like. Aunt Anna Marie's response was "kind, sweet and loving...your Aunt Margaret is a lot like Momo was." Which I thought was neat, because when we were looking through pictures in Aunt Margaret and Uncle Ed's dining room, the needle point of the Serenity Prayer that Momo made was right over Uncle Ed's shoulder. So that's what I closed with.

It still cracks me up that Uncle Jay said, "I know the PERFECT person to speak at the funeral. Amy Rose can do it...she's our little corporate speaker." Talking about bulldozers is one thing...

Yay me!

I had my annual physical today. All things are OK. As we were going through my cholesterol nmbers she said, "Have you bumped up your exercise? Because your HDL is up." Looks like walking and running with the dog is paying off. :) Jazzercise tonight was so much fun. Britney Spears "Womanizer" AND Justin Timberlake, too!

"I was running..."

...You have to say that in a Forest Gump voice. "Miner...we were running."

Last night I went to Chad's. Shawna, Chad and I watched TV on the internet on the wall (he's got a projector for a TV). We watched the Private Practice/Grey's Anatomy cross-over thing. Stupid TV.

My mission(s) for today:
figure out what cable is necessary to use my TV as a monitor
go to the library
clear off my dining room table
clean up my office
print the legal description of my house off for the lawyer
find a hotel for mom, dad and me in St. Paul
buy an antennae so I can hear the radio on my stereo again

Miner and I ran this morning. We actually ran about 1/2 of the loop around the hospital. I've decided that if I just exercise for the fact that it makes me feel better mentally, that I can stick with it. Health and weight-loss will be a beneficial side effect.

Home, Home, Home - Again

I got in last night around 8 PM. It was a good week in Phoenix, but I was happy to be back. There was a nice little layer of new, fluffy snow on everything.

This morning, I slept late. I made it to jazzercise and my other favorite instructor, Margie, was teaching. She's a nut and I love her classes. There is ALWAYS a Justin Timberlake song. After jazzercise, I went to pick up Miner. He got a bath this morning from the place I board him. Check out his little Valentine's Day bandanna!


Miner HATES getting his picture taken, and was worn out from our walk.

I think it was warmer in Davenport...

At least it was sunny yesterday out here (Phoenix). Monday was SUPER rainy. The demo site was a mess. Yesterday I nearly fell off a dozer trying to climb up to the cab to teach Marcy how to back it up. I got away with a big ugly bruise on the soft squishy part of my tricep.

Today marks the 1 month from having the decree filed. The paperwork and everything should be relatively painless. It's all the other stuff that's painful. I now have all the keys and garage door openers back. If the weather is nice this weekend, that's my project - changing locks and reprogramming garage door openers.

I'm off to get ready for work. All undercarriage, all the time. Though today, I am also being pulled into a meeting because they need someone who knows about the mining and quarrying business. See, I'll use my degree from time to time!

The Day the Music Died

Monday was the 50th anniversary of the last concert that The Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly played. I guess I never paid attention during "La Bamba" but they played that night at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA.

There were concerts at the Surf from Wednesday until Monday, I think. Monday night was Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys, Joe Ely, Graham Nash...man, I wish I had paid attention to the radio, too...I would have taken 2 days off to drive up to Clear Lake and hear Joe Ely sing Buddy Holly tunes!