Musings of an Unfinished Woman

Middle of the Week Musings

Hello hello...the calendar says it's August 4 but it's 62 degrees right now and I'm FREEZING! I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a fan of really hot weather but really...this is the middle of summer and I'm huddling under a blanket. Seems wrong!

My wonderful in-laws, Charlotte and Subby, along with Alvina (Charlotte's sister) are leaving on Friday morning and driving to Bismarck, North Dakota, which is where my husband was born. That's where most of their extended family lives. The last time they went back (in 2006), it was just Shanna and my mother-in-law and they flew. From here to Bismarck is 1,300 miles and they are driving a small motor home. They are also taking their two dogs. They are hoping to make it back there in three to four days. Russell and I took a small road trip up to Washington in April and over a week's time, drove about 800 miles - that was more than enough road trip for me. I'm a big fan of flying and unless I had a lot of time and money, wouldn't dream of driving half way across America (fortunately, Russell and I have agree that we are not motor home people).

This photo is of my in-laws. They will celebrate 56 years of marriage this month. They are so cute together and I'm so very blessed to have them in my life. Because I love my in-laws and we don't want them to spend a fortune, we are taking their cat, Charlie. To board him would cost $17.50 per day! This is a huge deal because I'm allergic to cats and it's no secret to those who know me that I'm not an animal person. Charlie will be in the basement with Shanna - she's looking forward to having another pet...me, I'm just praying that everyone remembers to keep the door shut so he doesn't come upstairs. I enjoy animals from afar, like to take pictures of them, but don't want to deal with the mess, smell, hair, poop, etc. that comes with owning an animal. (Please note that I'm not in any way slamming those of you who love pets). Yes, we have two bunnies and they are more than enough for me. Below is a picture of one of them - Dopey, who like his Disney namesake, is really sweet but not the brightest bulb. Dopey was a cooperative subject for one of my class photo assignments a couple of weeks ago...isn't he adorable!

 
My life group has taken a break for a few months, but we're getting together tonight for dinner and a walk...it'll be wonderful to catch up, laugh, talk and pray together. I'm looking forward to resuming our weekly get-togethers in the fall. Russell is going over to his parents house to wash their motor home in preparation for the big trip.

Life is about dealing with changes and challenges, and Shanna is really struggling to find her place and figure out what to do with her life. Some kids are really blessed to have a clear vision or goal of their future and seem to have their lives mapped out for them. Shanna isn't one of them (Russell and I weren't either). She has always been interested in law enforcement and is thinking seriously about enrolling in the Criminal Justice program at Mt Hood Community College. We applied for financial aid but didn't qualify for any grants, and she didn't apply for any scholarships. She struggles with academics and fears that she can't do it. She is job hunting, but jobs in Oregon are scarce (we have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation) and she has no experience. Of course, like many kids her age, she wants the nice car, the apartment, good furniture, etc. What she hasn't yet learned, is that most of us started out with really crappy cars (my first one was an orange Vega) and we furnished our first apartment with garage sale and Goodwill finds. Like most kids her age, she's glued to her phone...this is one of the few photos I've gotten of her recently where she hasn't hidden her face.

Happy Wednesday!

Busy Weekend...Baby Elephant Update

Our weekend flew past and I'm not feeling as rested as I'd like to start a busy new week. We were up at the crack of dawn to get Shanna to her first Drivers Education class...being held at Mt Hood Community College which is about 12 miles from our house. It's a fairly large campus so we left early to make sure we could find the correct room and not be late (that's one of my big pet peeves - I HATE being late to anything). There wasn't any Saturday morning traffic (I'm assuming everyone was sleeping), we got there, easily found the classroom and had nearly 25 minutes to spare...which didn't make Shanna too happy. It was actually funny to sit outside the classroom and watch all these teens walk up with their parents. Every teen walked up with a phone and/or Ipod in one hand (hello...who do they know whose awake and wants to talk at that time of day?), slumped over, backpack slung over their shoulders with that "I can't believe you're making me do this" look on their face...If you're a parent, you've been the recipient of that look.We left, did errands and came back for the hour parent orientation. Fortunately, Shanna really likes the instructor so she wasn't as hostile about the class after wards.

Earlier in the week, we bought a year long membership to the Oregon Zoo, mostly because of the new baby elephant. We told Shanna and my mother-in-law that we would take them on Saturday afternoon... not knowing that Saturday was the World Animal Festival. And then, on the front page of the Oregonian was a picture of Sam, the baby elephant with his Mom, Rose Tu, inviting the public to come and see him. Add to that a beautiful fall day...80 degrees and you have what seemed half of Portland there. The parking lot was full so we had to ride a "shuttle bus" to the zoo. Russell and I waited in the baby elephant line while Shanna and my wonderful Mother-in-Law, Charlotte, wandered around.

It was well worth the wait...oh my goodness...what a cute elephant. They let him and his mom, outside right before it was our turn so he was in fine form, running, trotting, sliding and trying to get into the pool.

I'll definitely have enough photos to do a mini-scrapbook of this little fellow. Is he not the cutest thing you've seen in quite some time...

Fall is Here...Elephant Update

It’s officially fall here in Oregon. The leaves are starting to turn…the air has that nip to it…and even when it’s sunny, you want to wear a sweater. As a kid, I hated fall…not the going back to school part but the turning of the weather. I grew up in Colorado

and fall signaled snow. I’m not an extreme weather girl…cold or hot and the winters were long and cold…and yes, I walked to school (uphill both ways!!). This photo was taken early last October in the Columbia Gorge.

In Oregon fall and winter brings the return of rain…and you know I’m okay with that. I always seem to have more time for scrapping in the fall and winter months (plus a new season of our favorite TV shows). I love walking through crunchy leaves. One of the things on my life list is to go to the New England states in the fall…I’ve seen photos of the beautiful fall foliage…we're not as dramatic, but it's still really pretty here.

Due in large part to Mr. Sam...the cute little elephant at the Portland Zoo (he’s one month old as of yesterday) we bought a family membership and are taking Shanna and my in-laws to see Sam this weekend. He’s so adorable...he’s gaining about 2.5 pounds a day. When we were watching him on Monday, he kept getting his back legs crossed and the only way he could figure out how to untangle himself was to walk backwards...what a hoot. The elephant keepers have the three female elephants "jog" every morning and they grab each others tails and run in a line...now Sam is joining them in the exercise lineup. Can you imagine how cute that would be to see!!

 

I'm so thankful for digital cameras...I love our Canon cameras. The amount of photos I've taken in the last week of just the baby elephant, the ocean and flower gardens numbered in the hundreds. Can you even imagine going back to a film camera? Do you know anyone who still uses a film camera?