Everett Andrew Duncan, Jr. 9/26/1958-01/02/2015

Today I watched my brother pass from this world to the next. I saw his face relax and be at peace as he gazed upon someone he loved who came for him. I am grateful for the love of a heavenly father who loves each and every one of us, no matter the life we live or the circumstances we create. I am grateful for families and the support we are to each other. I am grateful for a mother who continued to love this difficult brother when very few others would. I am grateful for my family and the choices they have made. I am grateful to be alive.

A Quick Question

I only want to know. How can I be so busy and have so much to do when I have no children at home and no full-time job yet.

Just askin'.

Well, off to Disneyland with my friends Vicki and Shauna. Happy birthday, Vicki! :)

So Little Time...

So many fun and/or necessary (is it telling that I put "fun" first?) things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them...Now that I am 58 years old I am truly coming to the realization that I probably will not really be able to ever finish that pizza-box-stack of quilt projects, that armoire full of other sewing projects, the shelves of books waiting to be read and studied,  the craft projects in the closet, or all the pages to be created in the scrapbook room.



Not to mention the employment, housecleaning, purging, organizing, and disinfecting I should be pursuing.

Oh yes, and what about all those things I want to do with, talk about, and teach those amazing grandchildren I have?



Julie and Calvin-Oldest and Youngest!

Ally



Tyler, Sydney, Aubrey, Justin, and Logan



Amulek and Hannah

Maizie



Moxie

And what about my neglected indexing, that personal history that only goes up to the birth of my first child, and the journal entries that are locked  in my brain waiting to be recorded.



And how about all those beaches I haven't visited? In fact, all those items listed on my "50 Things to Do Before I Die" list?

I could be really frustrated. Instead, I just feel incredibly blessed.

Life's a Beach!

Have you ever been invited (commanded) to watch a child do something he loves? "Mommy/Nana WATCH me!" And if your attention wanders for even a few seconds you hear about it! "WATCH me! Mommy/Nana WATCH me!"

Have you ever watched my husband surf? :)  :)  :)

 

It's pretty funny. Every time he finishes riding a wave in, he looks to see if I am watching and then waves at me.

This is where we spent last Friday and Saturday in honor of his 61st birthday this Wednesday.



He paddle-surfed and surfed 7.5 hours Friday and 5.5 hours Saturday.

 

Couldn't have asked for a prettier place or a nicer day. Warm and sunny, a little breeze to keep it from being too hot, water not too cold, manageable but decent waves. 

I finished my first substitute training class (100% on the final!) online (only FIVE MORE to go...) in the motel in the early mornings while Jeff surfed, then spent the rest of the day at the beach while he surfed some more.

Walked in the water, soaked in the sun, and read a new legal thriller. What could be better!

A perfect weekend!

"Honey, We Got a Job!" **

FINALLY! After FIVE WEEKS! (That's what happens when the school district gets a new intake program AND a new director...)

This is my happy face! (And, no. I DIDN'T do my hair today. Just never got around to it!) :)

To be perfectly honest, I don't WANT to go to work. I have SO many things to do to get ready to sell this house and so many projects I'd like to get done, that I would rather stay home and do my own thing! (Well, I'm being perfectly honest!) But, if I have to go to work outside the home, (and believe me, I KNOW how blessed I have been all these decades to work in my home office and have my own schedule!) then substitute teaching is the perfect job. I get to be with cute kids (yes, I know I'm being optimistic,) I pick the days I want to work, and even on the days I work I have "school hours!" Pretty sweet, huh?

** Reference to the comment Jeff always made to me when he landed a construction contract!

They Love Their Papa. And Their Popcorn.

Labor Day weekend movie night, watching "Timeline." Papa and the boys seemed to think it was very intense. Grandma S.'s expression conveys the general consensus of the rest of the audience. Only Papa and Maddie made it through to the end. The popcorn was good, though! :)

I just transferred 300 photos from my phone to the computer, so I may be playing catch-up in the next few posts.

Empty-Nest Update

Interesting experience:

My dear friend, Kimberly, who is also a recent empty-nester, told me this anecdote while we were walking last week. She had walked by the elementary schools the day before and was surprised for a few seconds that people were dropping off children for school. It came as a momentary surprising thought to  her that if SHE had no school children left, why was school still going on as usual for others???

It wouldn't have been nearly as entertaining to me if I hadn't had almost the exact same experience the day before. I was driving to the post office and I saw two teenage girls walking in the park. "Hey!" I thought to myself, "That looks like (Maddie's friends) Jana and Amy." Then I scoffed, "Oh, Silly. It can't be Jana and Amy. Jana's working in an orphanage in Cambodia and Amy's away at college." Then, just for a moment I thought, "Well, how can there still be high school girls here, if I don't have any left?? Why is school still going on as usual for others..." :)

                                             Jana, Amy, and Maddie in their
                                            "Charlie's Angels" prom photo.
                                                   

Kinda silly, I know, but just exemplifies how completely our lives have changed. I DID have children at home for 36 years in a row, after all!

# I Feel Obsolete...

You know what's cool and kind of sad at the same time? My granddaughter Ally has been sick (not cool at all!) and I made her a little "care package." In it, I put a crochet hook and a ball of yarn, thinking I could teach her to crochet to take up a little time as she is recuperating. I called to see if she wanted me to come over to teach her...and she had already crocheted several little items after teaching herself to crochet from the internet! What a smart, talented cookie she is! (On the other hand, not much need for grandmothers anymore... )

Now that I think of it, I DID pick this dress out for her for Christmas and she apparently likes it, so I am good for SOMEthing! 

Hurting and being out of school hasn't changed her smile or her sweetness, though! Love you, Ally! 

Old New Post :)

In cleaning up this blog and writing some new posts, I came across a draft that was never finished.

If you are interested in seeing pictures of the musical that Maddie and Julie were in their sophomore year, go here:

http://sargeo.blogspot.com/2014/09/cinderella-cinderella.html

Thanks!

Cheering Up

Uh huh. Organizing photos on my computer is really helping my empty-nest depression. Workin' real well... :)

Sure do love these girls.

 And these guys too.

Calvin Jace

Welcome to the world, little guy. Calvin was born August 10 and is almost four weeks old in this photo. His brother Tyler is almost 10, sister Aubrey is 7 and brothers Justin and Logan are two-and a-half. He is dearly loved, as you might imagine.

He is wearing his daddy's outfit in this picture. Brian was eleven weeks old when he wore it, but he had pyloric stenosis and only weighed 9 lbs. 2 oz. then. Calvin weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz. at birth!

Once again, I am amazed at how much I already love this little boy. A month ago I didn't even know him. Now he is one of my very most favorite people. (I think he likes me too. He is so observant and follows the sound of my voice and looks right into my eyes.)

Welcome to the family, Calvin.

Real Life

So, school is in session. We have taken our last daughter to college, picked her back up to spend Labor Day with her, and Jeff brought her home this past weekend for Calvin's blessing. Now everyone is gone and I am truly home alone. With Jeff working in Park City my nest is really empty. And my new reality has begun.

I am going to miss this girl-singing in the shower when I wake up in the mornings, giggling uncontrollably as she tells me her exploits with friends ("Hedgehog Killer," anyone?,) setting the tables for family dinners every other Sunday, kneeling by her bed morning and night saying her prayers as I walk by her room, flopping on the couch with fat textbooks on her lap, slicing apples in the kitchen every evening, giving me "eterna-hugs," and just generally making my life happier.

Don't know what I would have done without this happy-little-surprise baby.

Love you, Maddie.

Birthday Book

I love my Kindle Fire as much as the next guy. I really do.

But as long as they make books that look like this-

With frontispieces like this:

How could I EVER give up the real thing??

Thank you, Kimberly. Happy birthday to me! :)

Giving it Another Go

I was talking to someone who used to read my blog and I remembered how much I enjoyed writing it. It has been way too long since I did it. I am trying it again with no expectations or guilt. We'll see how it goes. Cheating with this first post, as I just posted the same thing on FB. No guilt!

You know what I love? When it is September and you find "Brownies in a Jar" that a friend gave you for Christmas and you bake them after all this time because your grandchildren are coming and they make your house smell all delicious and chocolatey? (The brownies, not the grandkids!) Yes, I love that.

And you know what else I love? When you write someone a letter (yes, I still do that sometimes) and you find the perfect sticker for the back of the envelope. And it is the last one on a sheet that you bought probably like 30 years ago? Yep. I love that too.

I know. I am a simple woman. 

My Business - Possible TMW* Alert

Today I go to talk to my accountant about some tax problems we are having.

It makes me sad that I have these problems. I have always tried to pay my taxes, huge amounts of them in my humble opinion, on time and in the right amounts.

Now that the economy has tanked and we have been struggling for FIVE YEARS to keep our little underground utility company open and working, barely keeping our heads above water and - providing employment for others and a valuable service at the same time-we apparently owe tens of thousands of dollars MORE in taxes!! How can this be??

When I see my almost sixty-year-old husband drag his droopy-drawered bottom through the door at night totally and utterly spent from digging with a shovel in 110 degree+ heat, doing a job that most people wouldn't even consider so that we can have clean water and get rid of our waste, it breaks my heart.

How can good people who try to do the right thing be in this position???

It just doesn't seem right.

There, that is off my chest. I'll keep you posted.

*Too Much Whining :)

Florida Family Reunion

Every year for the last ten years my mom's family has gotten together in Cocoa Beach the first part of July. Last year was my Aunt Betty's 90th birthday, so a "surprise" party was planned for that week. For the first time in 25 years we went to Florida to be a part of the celebration. You might remember that THIS is what happened:

We promised Jeff if he was a good boy and wore his broken-neck brace for the three months he was supposed to we would go back to Florida this year for the vacation he missed last year.

And, yes, he did have a much better time this year. He literally paddle-boarded or surfed 8-11 hours a day, every day except Sunday and the day we MADE him go to Universal Studios. (It was such a trial.)


 
He taught my cousin John to SKUPboard and I think he has a new convert!

John's daughter Kayley also picked it right up.

I reconnected with my cousins Anne and Bert. Also my dear cousin Carol Beth, but the picture of us was hideous (me, not her!)

Maddie realized her dream of visiting Hogsmeade and Hogwarts in "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Universal Studios.

She was as giddy as a child and "just wish[ed] it was all real."

 It WAS pretty cool!

A GIANT "thank you" to Aunt Arline, Aunt Betty, and Mom for making it happen!

We hope to go again in 2015 when a certain unnamed aunt will also turn 90! Doesn't she look GOOD?!

Where in the world...?

Ten points if you can guess where we were this past weekend. Specifically, in this photo...Ten more points if you can give it the correct current name.

Gratitude Journal

I have been keeping a gratitude book this year. I know it is not even the end of January, but so far I have written one thing a day for which I am grateful. It is a hard thing to do. Not because I can't think of one thing a day, but because I can't narrow it down to one thing a day.

I have noticed a common theme this month, however. Many of my entries have centered around these people above. I truly am a blessed woman.

35 Years of Wedded Bliss

Man. We are old! Celebrated our anniversary yesterday. Sure doesn't seem like I've lived with this man for that long. I'm glad we still love each other, are still friends, and still enjoy each other's company. I hope we have a good long time left together. Like eternity, maybe?

Happy anniversary, honey.

Homecoming 2012

Maddie went to Homecoming with her fellow yearbook editor, Grayson T. They have been friends
since 6th grade. If you were lucky enough to see the Honors English filming of The Illiad at our house during Christmas break, you may recognize Grayson.

 Brian took photos of Maddie's group at the park and he thought they should have one of Maddie in "the hat."

 

 Maddie's group had dinner at one of the boys' house, played miniature golf and laser tag, had ice cream at the District, then went to the Mayor's house for a movie. (Mayor T's daughter is the one in the red dress with the cute little black bolero.) 

On the bench at the park

 Such a nice, fun group of girls. If you thought Maddie was wearing her cousin Abby's beautiful blue prom dress...that was the original plan...before we found out they were playing laser tab and (original plan) having a BBQ in the park! As you can see most of the girls wore short dresses. Maddie's was long, but not as formal as Abby's. She's hoping to wear that one to prom in the spring! :)

We thought it would be cute to get them all on the playground equipment, but the light wasn't quite right. They had fun anyway!  Thanks, Brian, for the all the photos. (He had lots of fun paying with his new camera!)