Serendipity

This week started out a little crazy. All sorts of new projects up and running, including college classes. I switched universities after CTU started driving me nuts. I’m now attending Ashford Online University. Changed my major too. I’m now a Public Administration major. Sort of a mix between political science and business management.

My first class is a psych class, trying to assess the students and their learning styles. Well…. amongst the tests to play with is the Meyers Briggs type and temperament test. Now for whatever reason, I have never taken this test. (please faint over by the couch. the floor is already full). Discovered that I am an INFJ, which is rather rare. Dan who is taking the same class with a different instructor took the test too. He is an INTJ, another rare bird, and oddly enough, we are well suited to each other, LOLOLOL!

At the bottom of one of the links, was an email list. I checked it out and the webpage that goes with it and decided to talk with people like me. The list has been great fun. Yes, it is busy, but I’m enjoying myself. I shared links on the blog here to a few of the pics of the dogs, so I suspect that is why my stats have gone through the roof today. 🙂

Dan and Ian are off to La Veta for a concert. David Enke is doing the sound and the guys are doing the lights. So, I’m all alone except for the dogs for a while. Nice time to turn my music up and disappear for a while. Recharge my batteries and dance around with Nibbler. Tomorrow I have to crack the books for a bit, make banana bread and probably cook dinner.

Cooking in the kitchen!!!

‘Cause it is HOT!!!

Wednesday was the potluck. That was great. Had fun, talked with people I hadn’t seen in a while and listened to good music.I got home around Midnight.

Thursday. I went to work at La Plaza Inn, and Dan went to the Fox Theater. Old Blind Dogs were playing and he was doing the lights. Meanwhile, I cooked and helped at the kitchen. We had food ready for after theater crowd that came over for the jam session. Apparently while the theater was crowded, there were maybe 50 people at the jam session. Sort of sad, as we’d cooked lots of nice food. I got home at 2:15am. Yawn.

Friday, I wasn’t suppose to work. However, Karen called wanting my help. She hadn’t been able to get into the kitchen all day and felt behind. So, I went in at 5:30 and finished at around 9:45pm. Yawn. Luckily for me, Dan walked down and walked home with me.

Today, I slept in a bit, but was still to work by 11am. Lots of stuff to do for the banquet, and we got it done with about 30 minutes to spare. Morgan came down and served at it because it was being sponsored by Huerfano County Youth Services. The evening went great. The food was good and everyone was happy.

We started to walk home around 9pm, and then discovered that the guys were headed to Carl Jr’s for dinner. So, we met them there and then walked home. Oh gods was I tired. I think I will head to bed soon. Yawwwwwwwwn….

Oh, and Ian’s Grandma will let us borrow the van for Sunday. She got panicked about us using it on Friday. A bit of Sturm und Drang operatic soap opera, but… we will borrow it at least this one time. Otherwise, I hope to have a car of some sort working soon. I am truly tired of having to bum rides.

5am was too damn early

And I told my body that when I woke up at the crack of dawn. Yawn… 45 minutes later, Misty was up and thumping around the kitchen getting coffee and trying to wake up enough to head out. She had to head home this morning. pout! Ah well, at least we had a really good six day visit. I don’t envy her going back to hot Arlington Texas though. phew!!! And, miracles of miracles, she only left on thing! It was in the freezer, so I’m not too surprised. 🙂

However, since I was up so early, I made a second batch of biscuits in preparation for the La Plaza job. They came out really good this time and I will stick to it. Yum… I’ve got to do dishes again and then make a carob cake for the potluck tonight at David Enke’s. The Old Blind Dogs are playing at the Fox tomorrow night. Dan gets to work the lights and I will be cooking at the La Plaza for the after dinner party. Wheeee…

Life is just about to get really busy! Work starts tomorrow and college classes at Ashford start on Friday.

A hot Monday in June…

It isn’t a record breaker, but just steadily hot. It’s also the Summer Solstice. 🙂 From now until Yule, the days will get shorter. sigh… I worked in the garden killing weeds today and did laundry. The top layer of stuff was trying to dry before we even got home from the laundromat. Yes, I am back to that. Our washer we had lost it’s transmission. argh. At least I am saving money by not using the dryers.

This is also our third week of company this month. Ian’s dad, brother and grandma in the first week, then Stefan and Anabell, and now Misty. 🙂 It has been almost eight-nine months since we saw her last. She’ll be here for a bit of this week, and then we will be company-less just in time for school to start and work to start. Wheeeee!!!

We have the Old Blind Dogs from Scotland here on Thursday. Dan will be working the lights, and I will be working at the La Plaza cooking. I am so looking forward to a paycheck!!!! I get to be baker and chef along with three others.

Oh, and we got to see the Medano Fire up above the Sand Dunes on Friday. Here’s hoping for rain!!!

Almost caught up!

It has been busy around here. After the conference, we spent as much time with Stefan and Anabell as we could. Then on Monday, we took them to the airport. 🙁 Sad Day… 🙁

Tuesday, the washer broke. So, I have been trying to do catch up with the laundry by hand, as I had a load in the washer when it died. Oh, and I told John that I want a divorce. That of course went over like a lead balloon. However, the job I’m applying for needs some honesty. As in I don’t make diddley squat for money and I live separately from John. Told him I was going to tell the interviewer that, and he got upset. During the course of the conversation, I explained that in all honesty, I wanted a divorce. It was like he never expected that.

Um… Hello! I haven’t lived with him for over a year. Plus, some stuff that I’m not mentioning on a blog, but… In all honesty, I had my heart broken 23 years ago, and it never healed. He asked for a divorce then. We tried to work things out, and to be honest, we didn’t do too bad. I made a promise that I would work on the marriage as long as there were minor children. Well, Daniel turned 18 two years ago, and I have to admit that I still felt about the same. I wanted a divorce. Due to a number of things, I moved out of the house at 203 Walsen over a year ago. I am happier, less stressed, more relaxed and have had fewer asthma attacks than I have had in years. I still love him, but I’m not IN love with him. There is a difference.

He says he wants to talk and try to make things better so that we don’t divorce. Sorry, after 20+ years, I don’t think things will change. We’ve both changed, and I just do not see reconciliation being an option. Plus, when are we suppose to find time to talk? He works an average of 50 hours a week, and I have college, a job and other responsibilities. An hour here or there over a week is just not going to cut it or change my mind. Nor will I interrupt his work and send him back to work in a possibly upset state of mind.

And, despite what he might think, I don’t want a divorce just so that I can marry Dan. Nope! Wrong answer. I love Dan, but I won’t marry him. I never want to be married ever again. Nor do I think Dan ever wants to be married again either.

Sigh.

I hope to have pictures of Stefan and Anabell up by Saturday. Dan has to download them and put them on the jump drive for me. My computer is having some issues. argh… video driver issues.

Oh, and our friend is coming up from Texas!!!! Wheeee!!!!!

Of Vail and conferences and rain

Dan and I headed off to Vail for a workforce conference on Wednesday. We headed off at the crack of dawn and actually got there 45 minutes early. Whewwww! First up on the agenda was an opening speech by Governor Ritter. It was short, sweet and to the point. He signed three bills into law that had to do with business.

After that, we got the registration mixup fixed and got all of my conference stuff. 🙂 We got settled in our room which was great. The bed was huge, and there was a fireplace in the room. LOL… granted it was about 85 there. Oh, and the bathroom. A bath and a shower. :):):)

We went to a workshop, and then at dinner we had a speaker who was really good. Sarah Michel. After dinner, we were so tired that we soaked in the tub and then went to bed.

Thursday started WAY TOO EARLY. Up at 6am, breakfast by 7am and in the conference room with 150 other people by 8am. This was the WIB (Workforce Investment Board) workshop. It was for all the workforce regions: their chairmen, members, etc. I got to go because Dan felt I should go and Taryn agreed. The WIB is involved in getting a new Colorado Workforce Council up and running. Lots of politics. Lots of egos, tempers, ideas and worries to work through. Since I was a rather late addition, I got put on the ‘left over’ table. Not a bad thing, and pretty soon, those of us on that table joined in with other tables that were missing people. I jokingly called our table the ‘Group W’ table. For a bunch of misfits, we really worked well together.

We worked for 8 hour on Thursday. It was tough, exciting and exhausting. After we finished, Dan and I went out to dinner at a place called Garfields. It was good food and after dinner we walked around downtown Vail. Then we headed for the hotub! Wheee!!!! a whirlpool no less. We were back in the room by 9 and asleep by 10pm.

Up early again, and in the conference by 7:30am. More hard work, but very worth it by the time we finished. When it was done, we went down and had lunch. The group Chicken Lips was speaking/performing during lunch. They were a motivational comedy group. Hilarious! Had a great time and laughed, oh did we laugh! After lunch, we packed up and headed home. It was just starting to rain as we left Vail. Idaho Springs was a downpour! Rain stood on the highway and some of the puddles were so deep that we had to slow way down to get through them. It cleared up a time or two near Denver, but we had more rain all the way home. We got home around 6pm. Once we unpacked and said our hellos, we headed for bed. It was meant to be a nap, but… We woke up at 10am this morning.

Spent most of the day with Stefan and Anabell. 🙂 They had dinner with my parents, but we are now watching movies and Morgan is painting Anabell’s toenails and fingernails. 🙂 Best part of the day besides spending time with S&A,… I Got A Job!!!! I will be cooking for La Plaza!!! Oh, and Ian got a job too as a waiter. happygotajobdance!!!!!

Tomorrow I’m making runza for dinner. Yum!!!

Community

Today,was one of those days when you’re glad to be a part of something. Eric D’Ambrosia’s funeral was today. It was held up in Gardner at Gardner School. It was the only place big enough to hold all the people. Dan and I figured that there were over 300 people there. Students, teachers, friends, neighbors and family.

However, for one small span of time, we were all family. Eric was a friend, a brother, a son to everyone in that room. Sitting there listening to the Rosary you could feel the bonds grow stronger. As the Memorial mass went on, and Fr. Frias spoke, everyone blended together. When his aunt Cathy spoke the eulogy, with his sister Susan by her side, we all cried as family. While his death was a terrible blow, it brought so many people together as community.

At the graveside and later at the community center where food was provided for everyone, people shared stories, hugs, tears and memories. People who hadn’t seen each other in ages hugged and chatted like it had only been a day.

It was a sad day. It was also a beautiful day. My only sorrow is that it took the death of a beautiful young man to bring us all together.