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Monday, September 20, 2010

He's still showing us what's really important....our family

Some unfortunate family drama occurred last Friday that I prefer not to air (had to do with the Rocky Point house) but I am convinced Al helped out with a solution.

Following the initial drama and AFTER I dropped my phone and the battery popped out and landed in the pool, I was without a phone until I got a new battery the following day….Saturday. Got in the car, snapped the new battery in, powered on the phone and there it was. The time was 11:11. Felt like a message from Al that he was with me and knew how upset I was over the drama and that it’ll all be okay.

Back to the Rocky Point house without too many details on the drama that ensued …..

My daughter Lesley got married on the beach in front of Casa #18 and we held a wonderful wedding reception in that house in Mexico. It holds beautiful memories for us and Al was so proud walking Lesley down the sandy “aisle” to give her away. So we really wanted Casa #18 for Al’s upcoming birthday but it was booked. It’s a gorgeous house with gorgeous furnishings ON the beach. It’s the ideal beach home. We ended up renting Casa #20 instead and moved on with planning the trip. My daughter Alison checked multiple times on the availability of Casa #18 on the internet just out of curiosity. Unavailable. Why would it change? Of course if was booked.

Well after the ugly drama and family members considering canceling the reservation and booking separate condo units instead of staying all together in the casa, Alison pulled up the website and what do you know? Casa #18 was AVAILABLE. Why would that just happen?

In our minds it was Al stepping in and letting us know that we need to drop the stupid crap, come together as a family and remember what the October trip is all about. A quick call to the resort and the switch was made. My family dropped the drama and is coming together for Al. We’ll be in Casa #18 after all…..the house with all the memories. How very fitting.

So thanks Honey. We got your message loud and clear.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Six months....a tribute to the joker and hippie

Yesterday I knew what today would be. On Sunday I remember thinking that tomorrow would be the 13th and that means that Sept 13 would be the 6 month anniversary of Al's passing. But somehow that thought completely left my head as I started my day today. It's somewhat ironic that I actually attended the memorial services of the father of one of my coworkers that I've known for oh, eight or nine years. Her dad passed in Peppi's House, the same TMC Hospice Al passed in. I hope in her last days with her dad I was able to offer some comforting words.

So yeah, mid-way through the service, I realized what I had forgotten. Today is the 6-month anniversary. I hate to say it but it's not getting any easier. Honestly. As I drove away from Krista's dad's service I glanced at my phone and saw a text message from my sister-in-law that she was thinking of us on this day.

Later I checked Facebook and saw that my daughter Lesley had posted this very simple statement as her status, "Salt & Pecker". She was trying to have a light-hearted look at today's anniversary by remembering one of her dad's jokes. Yes, that simple and that depraved...."Pass the salt & pecker." My husband...king of the stupid joke, often inappropriate.

So with that, we all posted a little something. My status became "Ed Zachary" to honor his ridiculous, inappropriate joke about the Chinese guy saying someone had Ed Zachary Disease. His face look Ed Zachary like his ass. Alison then posted as her status, "Sonova", where? "Sonova Beach" and Marsh finished it off by changing his status to the joke about not sinking his putts during golf and stating something along the lines of "if you'd put some hair around it, maybe I could find the hole."

Yes, inappropriate. Yes, so Al.

And to that end, I leave you with this. This inappropriate Christmas song that he loved. It's a nod to his early hippie days. He actually had me print up the lyrics and he kept them in a file. Inappropriate? You know it.

The 12 J's Of Christmas by Afroman

On the 1st Day of Christmas my true love gave to me, A Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 200 Reds and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 3 pounds of Grass, 200 Reds and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD
On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 6 Joints a smoking, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 7 white's a buzzing,6 Joints a smoking, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 8 spoons a snorting, 7 whites a buzzing, 6 Joints a smoking, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 9 Caps a dropping, 8 spoons a snorting, 7 whites a buzzing, 6 Joints a smoking, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 10 peyote buttons, 9 caps a dropping, 8 spoons a snorting, 7 whites a buzzing, 6 Joints a smoking, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 11 Magic Mushrooms, 10 peyote buttons, 9 caps a dropping, 8 spoons a snorting, 7 whites a buzzing, 6 Joints a smoking, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of Grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.
On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 12 Kits a dripping, 11 Magic Mushrooms, 10 peyote buttons, 9 caps a dropping, 8 spoons a snorting, 7 whites a buzzing, 6 Joints a smoking, 5 VALIUMS!, 4 grams of Hash, 3 pounds of Grass, 200 Reds, and a Tab of Yellow Sunshine LSD.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Summer Breeze

Oh how I hate it. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler. Won’t be long now before I feel the ridiculous mad rush of winter. You know what I mean. You typically get home from work at 6:15, 6:30, whatever. But in the summer it doesn’t really matter. It’s light out, it’s hot, it’s summer, you have all the time in the world. But then fall rolls around and it gets darker earlier. You get home at 6:15, 6:30, whatever, but it’s DARK. The night is upon you and you feel it coming to a close with so much ahead still to do. Go to the store, cook dinner, feed the dogs, clean up, take a shower. Odd that you had the same stuff to do in the summer and got home at the same time but you felt like you had allllll the time in the world. I really HATE winter.

There is so much to love about summer. Trips to Rocky Point and sitting in the hot Mexican sun while sitting your ass in the amazing clear water of the Sea of Cortez while tipping a cold Mexican beer to your lips, trips to Apache and jet skiing over the smooth, cool water, listening to the cicadas blasting out their summer song, getting a whiff of the moist desert air as the rain hits the creosote all around us. Yes, I could go on and on about summer. It makes me feel alive.

Winter on the other hand is miserable. Dark, cold mornings, too many layers of clothing which have to be peeled off as soon as you get inside any indoor structure where the heat is cranked way up, miserable traffic jams brought upon by school being back in session and those lovely snowbirds coming back to town. I think the only thing I really like about winter is soup. Yep, soup. It’s too hot to eat it in the summer but in winter I’m all about the albondigas, cocido, split pea, fideo and of course, Texas chili.

We’ve got one more Mexico trip in us for this summer. For most, it wouldn’t really be summer anymore but I expect to have nice weather still. It’ll be early October and the weather should still be nice. You see, we’ll be heading down to Puerto Penasco for Al’s birthday. The whole family (including Brian…he’s DEFINITELY family too) will go down for a couple of days and then at the end of the weekend, on Oct 11 (Al’s birthday), we’ll gather in Cholla Bay and walk out in the water at high tide and release some of Al’s ashes for the first time. Al asked that we do a couple of things with his ashes. 1) take some out to his favorite hunting spots and let them go in the wind to cover the rough hillsides he climbed so many times 2) a few should be kept next to the ashes of Dodger, our beloved old Golden Retriever who passed away at 13 but who saw our kids through their childhood and in to early adulthood, 3)some are to be put in the fire pit on New Year’s Eve when the annual Christmas tree burn takes place at the stroke of midnight, and 4) some are to be released in the waters of Cholla Bay.

Sweet, sweet summertime. Or better yet....Summer Breeze

See the curtains hangin' in the window, in the evenin' on a Friday night.
A little light a-shinin' through the window, lets me know everything is alright.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

See the paper layin' in the sidewalk, a little music from the house next door.
So I walked on up to the doorstep, through the screen and across the floor.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom. July is dressed up and playing her tune.
And I come home from a hard day's work, and you're waiting there, not a care in the world.
See the smile a-waitin' in the kitchen, food cookin' and the plates for two.
See the arms that reach out to hold me, in the evening when the day is through.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.
Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind.

Monday, September 6, 2010

11:11


A few years back, a coworker (now a good friend) would always acknowledge the time 11:11 when she would see it on her digital clock in the office. Now I'm not sure if she made a wish, said a prayer, chanted voodooisms or what but she would be silent and then kiss her finger and place her finger to the face of the digital clock. Now, my friend is a little quirky and fun so I didn't make much of it. Her doing this didn't strike me as odd, just something unique about her. I'd never seen anyone else ever do anything like that, I just figured she liked that number or something.

11:11 has been appearing to me with some frequency since Al passed away. I didn't think much of it at first. I'd happen to glance at the clock on my microwave at just the right moment and it would show 11:11. While at work, without realizing the time, I'd look at the lower corner of my computer screen and it would show 11:11. I'd by lying in bed trying to get to sleep and would open my eyes and glance at my clock and it would show 11:11. This began to happen pretty frenquently. Because I don't sleep very well, I try very hard not to look at the clock when I'm in bed because I tend to freak out when I realize the time and that I haven't slept. Typically I will forceably keep my eyes shut and roll over or change positions but sometimes I feel compelled to look at the clock. Those are often the times that it will read 11:11.

I've started to think that possibly these are little messages from Al. (Yeah, yeah, I know...she's really stretching it with these signs now) It's just become too coincidental and too frequent for me to think anything else.

Lesley's birthday was on Saturday. We planned a surprise birthday dinner for her with the help of her husband Trevor. He was to keep her out of the house all day and bring her home to their house with her whole family waiting for her inside with her favorite Thanksgiving meal. Well during the day while doing various little errands to make this happen I was thinking how Al would have loved doing this and how nice it would have been to have him here for her first birthday without him. It made me a little sad to be honest with you. I glanced over at the digital clock display on my dash and of course, it was 11:11. Sure felt like Al telling me he was would be there with all of us to wish Les a happy birthday.

So I got to thinking about this 11:11 thing tonight and decided to look it up on the internet. Turns out there are quite a few sites devoted to frequent occurances of 11:11 in people's lives. One site says 11:11 is the trademark prompt from our spirit guardians or Midwayers. It's their way of letting us know they are with us. Basicallly, it signals a spiritual presence.

I know we read in to things what we want to get out of them. But I'm okay with that. I like to believe that Al and I were so connected in life that he continues to stay with me and send me little messages. To be honest, I don't know what I'll do when the signs from Al slowly stop coming. Until then I'll take all the signs he wants to send my way.

As I wrap this up and glance at the little clock in the lower right corner of my computer screen I see that it reads 11:11. This was SO not planned in any way, shape or form. I think it's totally fitting and appropriate that I post this little tidbit at 11:11. Thanks honey, I feel your presence and I love you too.