Happy Anniversary

Guess what today is.  Today is my 9th anniversary of posting this blog.  It started as a way to work through my grief of losing my best friend Gail and the impending passing of my mother.  It has worked.  I have healed and with the help of finding my art I am happy again.  I tell people that I have found my happy when I paint.  The writing here is another happy, where I have found new friends and am able to express myself.  Now though since some family members I fear have found my voice here I have to pull back on some of my words but that is okay.  You don't need to spill everything that is on your mind.  So I will just say Happy Blog Anniversary to ME!  Happy 9 years of letting it all hang out.  

  

Turning 30

 Today my BABY turns 30!

Oh My Goodness, I can't be old enough to have a 30 year old but I do.  She is a beautiful talented soul that I'm so glad is my baby.  Happy Birthday Afton!  I love you to the moon and back!

 

Flower Shop

Our flower shop is going to get very busy this next week.  I'm sad.  The lady I posted about the other day, our right hand man's wife, Jamie who probably had three more months to live, well, yesterday she passed.  She just had had enough.  Her body was tired of the fight and she let it go.  So, so very sad.  The Hubby is taking it very hard to the point he is upset if we can't spend time together, a lot.  The hugs and kisses he is giving are almost unprecedented.  

This morning I received a phone call from one of my high school classmates and he said there was some bad news.  The parent of one of our committee members passed away and not in a good way.  I've known that lady, Barbara since I was about 6 years old.  They lived next door to my grandparents and they own one of the banks in town.  Her daughter, Kelli is on our reunion committee and a friend for over 40 years.  Kelli's mother was walking across the street in downtown Broken Arrow and a trash truck I guess did not see her and turned and hit her.  She didn't die right there but soon after.  How very, very tragic for Kelli and her family.  

So my flower shop is going to be very busy this next week as we call in the flower orders.  I would prefer birthday or wedding flowers....something else.  Sad heart today.

Whirlwind

Whirlwind, that is what this week has been!  The youngest flew in last Friday and we've thoroughly enjoyed her visit and have been busy, busy, busy.  We started the visit with pizza at the oldest girly's house with pizza and Cards Against Humanity.  What a hoot!  She is staying with her sister this visit in their new abode and babysitting Rio while Bri teaches.  Getting a lot of one on one time with her niece!

Sunday it was a huge family gathering to celebrate all the June birthdays in the family (both sides) and the upcoming father's day.  Burgers and a LOT of rain, it was an awesome day.  

This visit was all about family which we all loved.  Instead of her going to various people to visit we brought them all together in one place.  

The friend thing we accomplished with her performing at Main Street Tavern last night.  Not even the rain held friends and family from watching her perform.  

Look who got to finally see her perform....,my DADDY and Mother-in-Law!

Her flute teacher many, many years ago Debi came to support!  How awesome to see her and goodness gracious when her husband walked in behind her The Hubby said, "Hey, that's our renter of our old shop." What!  How oddly weird was that.  We have not seen Debi in probably 10 years and find out her husband is our renter.  What a small world.  

Besties!

One of the reasons for the visit was the show at The Brady of Tears For Fears.  Woo HOO!  What a great concert.  It was the first time they had been to Tulsa.  Afton toured with them a few years ago and they are still friends in California.  This was our first chance to meet them.

Again, a whirlwind visit but alas she flies home, her home tomorrow morning.  We will miss her truly but her love is in California.

She also gifted B&B2 and sweet Rio with a gift that keeps on giving and giving and giving forever...enjoy!

How Do You Say Goodbye

It is raining this early, early Saturday morning.  The forecast has it happening off and on all week long.  I'm awake early, yet again this morning, 5 am to be exact.  Actually, my mind has been up and whirring around since about four.  My bladder started all this wake up stuff, then Clayton wanted to be fed, and so the mind started it's usual jumping from thought to thought.  I finally gave in with the encouragement of Clayton to "FEED ME" and got up.  

Coffee and protein bar in hand I go to my home studio to do the first run through of emails, blogs and Facebook.  The first image on FB was my friend Cindy's face with her husband Steve.  I met Cindy a few years ago at a local blog meet-up here in Tulsa, along with the oldest daughter.  We sat at the same table and had a really nice conversation.  We started reading each others blogs and come to find out had a lot of friends in common around here.  She and her husband then started using our electrical contracting services and last Christmas they stopped by our new office digs where she purchased one of my paintings.  The nicest people.  Well, on Thursday I saw on FB under her page a link to CaringBridge and knew that was NOT good.  I logged in to read their recent journey into the world of cancer.  I have been out of touch on her blog and did not realize they, Steve, had been battling cancer.  She posting on CaringBridge all that they had gone through the past year and then yesterday he passed away.  Shocked, SHOCKED.  How do you do that, how do you say goodbye.  My heart breaks for her and she seems to be dealing but I know she is devastated.  

This brings me to our right hand guy Ben and his wife Jamie.  Jamie has been battling stage 4 ovarian cancer for the past 2 long years, very courageously.  They have done radiation, chemo, experimental treatments and traveling to beat this, or at least let her live long enough to meet her first grandchild in July.  Tuesday, her birthday, they traveled the last time to Oklahoma City to talk to her doctors, she made the decision that enough was enough.  That evening, at a birthday celebration for her they told the family that the battle was over.  She is tired and had run out of any steam to fight this losing battle.  Not even the prospect of seeing sweet Aiden make his appearance into this world is enough for her anymore.  Jamie has been a tower of strength and courage in her fight going to work every day, even through all the horrible chemo.  Ben came in the office early Wednesday morning and he and The Hubby talked about it all.  The Hubby said Ben could hardly hold it together.  Oh my gosh, how do you prepare to say goodbye to your partner, your soul mate, your life.  

Seeing what Ben has been going through and my recent scare has made The Hubby very attentive and appreciative towards me lately.  It has scared the hell out of him that our lives are so precious.  Now all he talks and thinks about is retirement.  Well, I am ready but he says another 5 years.  I want to enjoy life NOW!  Not wait till this and that is paid off.  I want to not have to rush out of the house for this and that.  I want to paint, sleep in (good luck with that), to read, to fish, to travel, to play with Rio...I'm READY to begin our golden years early.  Life is too short.

Good morning all!  It is a fine, early June morning as the sun starts to rise.  Lots of stuff going on the past few weeks and in the very near future.  The birthday was a fun day with tons and tons of birthday greetings on Facebook, emails, texts, mail, etc.  We were to have cheeseburgers for my favorite meal but alas the restaurant we have had burgers at before only serves them on Monday's.  RATS, well that was okay because I had steak and was with some of my favorite people, less a couple in California! 

Speaking of the two in Cali, our youngest will be coming HOME this Friday, tomorrow!  We are all so very excited to see her as it has been since last fall.  We're having a family cookout this Sunday and then on Wednesday THIS IS HAPPENING!!!

I've been painting a bit and yesterday I repainted a commission for a friend.  Truly, TRULY, I DO NOT want to be known as a dog/cat artist but that seems to be what I've been doing lately.  I am good at it but I do want to branch out a bit.  Oh well, at least I make a little change.  Last week I was sent a picture of a sweet little dog that passed away, I believe her name was Abby...I painted it...

but was just not happy at all.

So yesterday I zoomed in on the face on my IPad and painted this...

I am thrilled with it.  It's funny, when it's bad my gut says, NO, NO, NO...when it's good I get butterflies.  

I will leave you today with this as I wind down to June 28, my 9th year sharing here on Jill of All Trades.

JOY!

 

Another Year Older

 

Yup, today is my BIRTHDAY!  Another year older and I'm not sure how I feel about that.  It also means I am one year closer to that dreaded 60.  I have to tell you 50 wasn't so bad but somehow 60 is kind of freakin' me out!!!  It's truly an odd feeling, especially when I feel still in my 40's, even if the body is kind of breaking down a bit.  It's funny, my parents, when they hit that fifty mark kind of just said, "We're old," and just acted OLD!  They pretty much retired from life except for the grandkids and were literally dying since.  Momma made it to 70, barely and it wasn't pretty.  Daddy will be 80 this year and he just creaks around.  Heck, my mother-in-law will be 88 in September and that lady has got it going and lets nothing stop her from doing stuff, just the body is not cooperating sometimes.  It is SOOooooo much a frame of mind. 

The saying, "You're as young as you feel," is just so very true.  It also applies to how you act and stay up with EVERYTHING!

Momma just refused to get on the computer bandwagon.  I tried to show her but she was not open minded.  In fact she viewed Daddy's computer as a mistress.  She was so jealous of his time spent on it.  It was truly sad.  You have to keep the mind young and keep learning.

So Happy Birthday to that person I kind of don't recognize.  Here's to that next step in life!  Cheers to all my friends and family!