A Logical Mess - Professional Organizer

Emergency Preparedness - Hurricane Irene

2011-08-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

With the recent earthquake and the current threat of hurricanes on the east coast... I thought it important to bring up the Emergency Preparedness Kit again. I know I told everyone I know to get an Emergency Kit together a couple years ago so you may have followed this advice? If you did - great. Now it's time to pull it out again and check the contents. Even though the hurricane Irene threats are not going to effect us on the west coast, it's still a good reminder to check your kit and make any changes needed. For instance, check batteries in flashlights and change them out, and make sure that any food/water/meds that you put in there are not expired. Most importantly, check your chargers to make sure they are still working. I do NOT recommend solar powered chargers like I have seen on the news. Obviously these are not going to work at night and you can't be sure how much sunlight you are going to have in a hurricane or other natural disaster. I recommend the hand crank type charger so that you will always have a charge even in the dark. The one I purchased came with several different connectors so that you can charge many different things (many different phones). What you want to check now is that the connectors still work with your current phone. I know my charger worked with my phone three years ago... but I have since updated and I need to make sure the charger has that connector as well!

If you don't have a Emergency Preparedness Kit, you should make one. Here are some tips, links and advice to help you!

Hurricane Preparedness:
http://www.ready.gov/america/beinformed/hurricanes.html
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_prevention.shtml

Emergency Kit:
http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/prepare/supply_kit.shtml

Be prepared! Good thoughts are going out to friends on the East Coast who are in the danger zones. Please stay safe!

Breast Cancer is Striking More Women Under 40

2011-06-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Sheila was diagnosed with breast cancer over two years ago. I remember getting the email from her that started with "This is the hardest email I've ever had to write..." and she went on to explain her symptoms, tests and diagnosis. It was devastating to read those words and to hear her terror, sadness, anger and confusion. I could only imagine what she was about to go thru. She was already in the midst of planning her wedding, raising her son, growing her business. Her life was going to change drastically. And it did.

Here is an article she wrote for Seattle Magazine. It will be in next month's issue (July 2011).

Breast Cancer Is Striking more Women Under 40 than Ever Before.
Why more young women are being diagnosed, and what you need to know to keep yourself safe.
by Sheila Cain

[Cancer-free for two years, Cain holds one of the wigs she wore during chemo. Image Credit: Hayley Young.]

When I received that fated phone call from my doctor telling me I had breast cancer, all I wanted to do was fall on the floor and cry. But first I had to go pick up my son from kindergarten.

Somewhere between the mammogram and the core biopsy, I had become one of a growing number of young women diagnosed with breast cancer. Statistics show that breast-cancer diagnoses in women younger than 40 have increased in the last decade, possibly because of improved screening methods. In 2010, the American Cancer Society predicted about 207,090 new cases of breast cancer in women; between 5 percent and 7 percent of those women will be younger than 40.

Two years ago, at age 38, I went from being a busy, self-employed freelance writer, a kindergarten reading volunteer and my 5-year-old son’s boo-boo kisser to a stage II breast cancer patient reeling from a mastectomy, 16 rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and five weeks of daily radiation treatment. Accustomed to juggling assignments, phone calls and interviews, I had to get used to letting my husband schedule my blood draws, doctors’ appointments and weekly infusions. Instead of cooking meals for my family, I accepted casseroles from friends and neighbors. And after more than 20 years of adulthood, I once again cried in my mother’s arms like a child.

While a breast cancer diagnosis at any age is devastating, younger women face unique challenges. Many of us are just ramping up our careers and raising families. Others are still dating or considering having children. My friend Nicole, diagnosed with stage III breast cancer at age 34 and unable to lift anything after her double mastectomy, had to use jellybeans to coax her toddler into his car seat. Luchie, 33, still hasn’t had a chance to become a mother. She had to abort her fetus when, at three weeks’ gestation, she was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer.

I met these women and many others like them at the Young Survival Coalition meetings at Gilda’s Club in Seattle, a support group geared toward women younger than 40 facing breast cancer. There, we shared our fears and celebrated our victories with others who had lost a breast, their hair and their dignity—but were fighting like hell to get them all back.

Diagnosing breast cancer in younger women can be tricky. Their breast tissue is generally denser than that of older women. By the time a lump is felt, the cancer is often advanced. Delays in diagnoses are also a problem, because many young women ignore the warning signs—such as a lump or unusual discharge—because they believe they are too young to get breast cancer.

On my doctor’s recommendation, I started receiving mammograms at age 35, since both my grandmothers had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Even so, I found my 5-cm. lump on my own—despite having a clear mammogram two months earlier. By then, it had spread to two of my lymph nodes. Frighteningly, this type of story is not uncommon among younger women. The mammogram remains the go-to scan, even though the technology is no match for the compact tissue often found in the breasts of younger women. MRI—or magnetic resonance imaging—can detect some cancers readily, but carries a high price tag. Many young women, like me, find their breast cancers themselves, through self-examination.

Though I did self-exams a few times a year, like many women my age, I hadn’t spent time worrying that I might have a potentially fatal disease. Luckily, two years after my diagnosis, I show no evidence of disease. But the fear of recurrence is always there.

It’s often difficult to be vigilant about my health when faced with everyday responsibilities, but it’s worth staying focused. I have a job that I love and a family that depends on me.

And my mom promises to lend me her shoulder whenever I need it.

Finding support: The Young Survival Coalition (YSC) is a nonprofit group dedicated to the issues unique to young women who are diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that usually doesn’t affect women until their 60s. The YSC Seattle chapter’s support group meets the first and third Wednesdays of each month, from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. at Gilda’s Club on Capitol Hill, 1400 Broadway, Seattle; youngsurvival.org/seattle.

http://www.seattlemag.com/article/best-seattle/top-doctors/breast-cancer-striking-more-women-under-40-ever

BEVERAGE SERVICE TIPS FROM THE GO2GIRLS!

2011-04-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

(Some very good info from my party planning friend Leasa. I thought it worth sharing!)

BEVERAGE SERVICE TIPS FROM THE GO2GIRLS!!

A well-stocked assortment of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages ensures that you can quench every guest's thirst. But how much do you really need to keep glasses filled? Keep this guide handy when purchasing beverages.

Ice: Nothing is more refreshing than a chilled beverage, so put ice at the top of your shopping list. Buy 1 pound of ice per guest (or three times more than you think you'll need) and store it in coolers during the party.

Nonalcoholic options: Offer choices such as regular and diet soft drinks, bottled water, coffee and lemonade. Plan on two nonalcoholic drinks per guest for the first hour and one for each subsequent hour. Consider the weather also, people drink more when it's warm outside.

Alcoholic beverages: Stock your bar with traditional offerings: gin, vodka, bourbon, rum and dry vermouth. Expect guests to consume two drinks the first hour and one drink each hour after, and plan on 1½ ounces of liquor per drink. Mixers: Club soda, tonic water, ginger ale, coke, diet coke, 7up, orange juice and cranberry juice. A quart of mixer should serve three people.

Garnishes: Cut limes, lemons, cocktail olives and cocktail onions. Don't forget essential barware: A shaker, strainer, corkscrew, glasses, cocktail napkins, straws and toothpicks make serving drinks a breeze.

Wine and beer: Three to four drinks per person is sufficient for a four-hour party. One bottle of wine serves four to six guests. If a toast is in order, break out the bubbly. For a pre-dinner party, have one bottle of champagne for every three or four guests. For a cocktail party, purchase 8 to 12 bottles per 24 guests.

Remember you know your friends best!! This is based on the moderate drinker, if your friends like to have more fun than the moderate drinker we would suggest an increase in your quantity of alcoholic beverages and of course a hired shuttle service or cab rides home:-)

We hope you have a wonderful and successful party. Please think of The go2girls when you are planning your next party and/or event and want to hire professional help. Please visit our website and "like" us on Facebook for occasional helpful hints, tips and recipes!!

http://www.thego2girlseventplanning.com/

Leasa P: 360-298-0422 E: info@thego2girlseventplanning.com

Doing Time on The Board (HOA)

2011-03-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

I bought a condo a couple years ago. It was my first purchase, my first home. I love it! I feel so grown up by having it and I take great pride in keeping it neat and nice. Now I am not a negative person, but I do like to think about worst case scenarios, just so I can prepare for the worst. Being prepared takes some of the sting out of unexpected events. I was aware of the downsides of home ownership because I had heard all the stories from friends. So I knew that repairs and emergency issues could come up and could cost a lot of money. I felt like I was going to be able to handle it. I had a stable job, a few bucks in the bank and my inspector had told me that my condo was in good shape and probably wouldn't need any major repairs for a while. Whew, looking good. What I was not prepared for was THE HOA BOARD. I knew these things existed and I knew the premise of why they were needed. I also knew from friends that I should avoid being on the HOA Board at all costs. They say "It's an unpaid time suck and no one is ever satisfied." So, you can imagine my apprehension when I was approached by the HOA President and asked to consider joining the HOA Board. He said there was a position to fill and it would only be until the next election which was coming up soon. I was intrigued because I have a strange desire to organize things, educate myself, be in the know, have a say in how things work, voice my opinions, lead. Being a new home owner meant I had a lot to learn. So I thought maybe a short stint on the Board would help me understand the condo association, info about my building, and be a good way to meet my neighbors? Maybe I felt honored because he said I was smart, organized and responsible and I would be a good addition to the Board?? Maybe I am just a sucker? Whatever happened, I accepted the position. I took the position of Treasurer and got to see the budgets, the income/expenses, the past assessments, who owes what and more. I worked with the President on such issues relating to repair, landscaping, old legal issues, parking and the like. Interesting stuff. Nothing too major. I learned a lot. Mission accomplished. Fast forward two years and a half years and I am now in my second term as President. How did that happen?? I must be a glutton for punishment because no one in their right mind does this. Let's remember that the real estate market has taken a dive. So while my short term as Treasurer was all about general maintenance issues around the building, I am now having to deal with the all the repercussions of a bad market. Major issues like late dues, collections, foreclosures, bank repos, utility shut offs, lawsuits. I am still learning a lot, but now I am learning all the bad, negative stuff. It's kind of like dating someone who is getting divorced. You go into the relationship thinking everything is new and exciting. You are hopeful and positive and wanting everything to work out. You dream about being together forever. Then you find out that the other person in the relationship is negative, bitter and jaded, and thinks the relationship will fail like their last one did. It's hard to have a forward moving relationship with someone who is moving backwards out of theirs. You realize it's best to just end the relationship before the blaming, name calling, and regrettable outbursts happen. Unfortunately for me, I can't break up with my Association. And I don't want too. I still want to feel like I am helping to make our living experience better. Don't get me wrong, most of my neighbors are great and there are no problems. But there are a few out there who have become bad seeds. Owners who get behind on dues and blame the HOA for being to expensive. Or they treat the HOA like we are some sort of free service, no-interest bank service and they can pay here and there, whenever they feel like it. Some owners simply don't want to pay their dues or assessments - and think they don't have to. It's not optional you know, it's not like deciding you don't want to pay for cable anymore. You knew the deal when you bought the condo! Lately there are some owners who walk away from their units and trash the place causing the HOA to have to spend more money in repairs. It's getting bad! Yes, I do understand that the economy is in a downturn and property values have dropped. I understand if someone can't afford their mortgage anymore and needs to walk away. That is between you and your bank. What I don't understand is people who start punishing the HOA too. By making accusations or judgements against the HOA for their personal financial misery. Or skipping out on their HOA dues along with their mortgage. HOA dues are not part of the mortgage, and they aren't paid to some nameless, faceless corporate entity. They are the fees that pay for the common ground (landscaping, utilities, cable, repairs). Our HOA charges the very least that they can to pay the expenses that everyone wants and votes on. Trust me there is no stock pile of cash sitting in an account somewhere. I think sometimes owners don't get that. Don't they realize that skipping out on dues means you are skipping out on your neighbors. The expenses still need to get paid. The neighbors end up having to make up for it by paying more? It's unfair to expect your neighbors to make up the differences when they are themselves feeling the budget crunch that everyone is. Here is the thing. If you have to walk away from your mortgage, you have to. But please have some respect for your neighbors and Board members and don't make it harder on them. We are all hard working people who are trying to be responsible and give our time to this Association. We "work" for free on HOA issues, in addition to our already busy work & personal schedules. We are just home owners like you, we are not lawyers, real estate agents, accountants or bankers. We are your neighbors and we are just trying to do the best we can for all of you. Please don't blame us for your financial troubles, threaten to sue us, vandalize our property, or verbally slander us. Please know that we never wanted to be on the Board either, we just did it because someone had to. The ultimate goal would be that everyone take their turn willingly. A stint on the Board would give everyone the understanding of the responsibility at hand - and maybe association members would start to appreciate the Board. Whew, glad to get that off my chest, sorry for the vent!

Keeta's Baby!

2010-11-28T19:53:00.000-08:00

As per my last post, I have a Bengal kitty named Keeta. Keeta had a baby (yes, just one) on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving at her breeder's house. So cute!! I got to bring Keeta and her 4 day old baby boy home yesterday (Saturday) where she will nurse him for about 8 weeks. I have to say I was a little worried about the drive home because Keeta is notoriously a maniac in the car. She rolls around in her cat carrier meowing and clawing at it. She flips her cushion around and makes a mess of the carrier. So naturally I was worried if I put both Keeta and her baby in it, she might trample him in her crazed state. I spoke to her breeder, Teresa, on the phone and we devised a plan. We knew that putting them in separate carriers would mean a loud and frantic drive home for me. You DO NOT want to separate a mama from her newborn baby! So we thought that we could put them both her ottoman/cat bed. This is a heavy piece of furniture that looks like a rattan ottoman, but it is completely lined inside in brown padded fur. The lid fits snug on top, or you can flip it over and it rests on the ottoman showing another padded fur lined sitting area with feather toys. There is a hole for the cat to get in and out.

I arrived in Issaquah and was headed up Tiger Mountain toward Teresa's when I saw her white Samoyed dog (Vladimir) running along the road... with a family of four and another big dog! I stopped my car and rolled down the window to yell Vlad's name. Of course he stopped and looked at me so I knew it was him. The family said "do you know this dog"? Yep. I tried to get Vlad to follow my car by repeatedly calling his name while I drove. But no, he didn't stay with me too long, clearly having too much fun with his new friends. He was wet and muddy so I really didn't want to put him in my car, but I didn't want to leave him with the walking family... especially since they had just told me that Vlad comes over EVERY DAY and even knows how to unlatch the screen door on their porch and LET HIMSELF IN?! So I finally had to pull over and get my emergency blanket out of the trunk to spread on the back car seat. Vlad jumped in and sat nicely in the backseat the rest of the way to his house. However, as soon as he jumped out, I folded up the blanket and no sooner could I get the door closed, he jumped back in! Oh Vlad! Now my backseat is full of muddy paw prints and white hair.

OK, on to getting the cats! Teresa cut some cardboard to put over the hole in the ottoman so Keeta wouldn't be tempted to get out. We hoped that her motherly instincts would kick in and she would sit in her dark box and nurture her baby instead of freaking out on the drive. We put the lid on and carried it to the car's front passenger seat. So far no crying or commotion... good! I made my way down Tiger Mountain and wasn't even off Teresa's road when she started crying and thumping around in the box. Then she got out. She basically chewed or clawed at the cardboard until she could slide through it. I know this because she had brown tufts of fur on her head and mouth. She was all over the car meowing at the top of her lungs so I pulled into a grocery parking lot in Issaquah. I lifted the lid to show her that her baby was in there and tried to coax her back into the box. When she hopped back in, I closed the lid. Within seconds she had head butted the heavy lid open enough to slither out again. I didn't think she had the strength to do that?! Again, I lifted the lid to put her back in. She jumped in, picked up the baby in her mouth and carried him out! She put the kitten on the floor mat by my feet, wrapped herself around him and immediately comforted her baby, licked him and let him nurse. They seemed comfortable so I decided to try and drive like that. (Yes, I know, not safe!) We made it to the freeway like that, but then she started trying to get under my seat (which pushed on the seat adjuster lever and I flew backwards. (Yes, while driving... again not safe!) She had managed to get her kitten all the way under my seat by the time I frantically pulled over on the side of I-90. Without getting out of the car (for fear Keeta would leap out) I managed to move the HEAVY ottoman into the back seat, and put her regular pet carrier in the front seat. I grabbed Keeta and shoved her into the pet carrier and locked her in. Then I had to open the car door to retrieve the kitten from under the seat. I put him back in the cat bed that was now in the back seat. Keeta freaked out the whole rest of the way home. She meowed, cried, screamed, scratched, clawed, rolled over and over. But hey, I had to get them home safely so it had to happen that way. It was the longest, most stressful drive in my life! And now my back seat is even more of a mess with cat hair, faux fur, and rattan fibers. Oy!

Once home, I picked up the baby boy in my hand and carried Keeta's cat carrier from the car to house. Once inside, I immediately let Keeta out of the carrier and then let her follow me downstairs to the spare bedroom where I had a nice cat bed waiting for her. It's a large moving box, with a large pet bed on top of a folded towel with a heating pad inside. I cut a nice sized hole in it so Keeta can get in and out, but baby can't. I put baby in the bed. Keeta immediately jumped in, grabbed baby by the neck and hopped back out again. She took baby into hallway, stopped, looked around, and must have realized it was an okay spot after all! She returned to the cat bed, put baby in, got in herself and settled down. Whew!

In the next hour Keeta was in and out of the box. She sat at her water dish and drank non stop for about 5 minutes! She ate some food, used her litter box, and nursed her baby a couple of times. In between all that she has been re-exploring her house and getting re-acquainted with me. She even let me hold her in my arms for about 5 minutes. That is a record breaking hold time! She didn't even leave skid (scratch) marks on my chest when she finally wanted down. Maybe motherhood has mellowed her....

It's been a whole day and I can happily report that Keeta is mellow and calm, and taking good care of her baby. She spends most of the day and night in the box with her kitten. But she does find some time to come upstairs and hang with me on the couch. She nestles up to me and is more cuddly and affectionate than ever. I am enjoying her very much!

You can see Keeta and her baby on Teresa's website: http://www.seattlebengals.com/. Check it out!

My cat Keeta

2010-11-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, I have a cat. And yes, I am writing about her. I am "that" person! ;-) If anyone knows me, they know I have a pure bred Bengal kitty that I got from my friend Teresa's cattery (http://www.seattlebengals.com/). I got my cat as part of a "partnership" program that she started when deciding to become a Bengal cat breeder. My kitty, Keeta, was the first cat partner in her breeding program. The partnership is basically this: I give the cat a good home, feed her, love her, and make her mine. Then when she goes into heat, I send her back to the breeder and she gets to hang with her kitty boyfriend for a few days, get knocked up, and then come home to me. When she is ready to pop two months later, she goes back to the breeder for delivery, and Teresa has 3-6 new babies to raise in her cattery. Sounds easy, right?

Well, my particular baby doesn't like to make things easy! She has hard heat cycles (9) where she coos her little mating call like a bird, meows loudly and constantly... and she sprays. Ugh. Most female cats don't spray but mine does. She is trying to attract a male. It's a mess. So I had to put up with it 4 times before she was a year old. Finally after she turned one, we bred her. Now she has been bred multiple times (5) over the last year. The little stinker just did not want to get pregnant! The interesting thing is that her body would think she was pregnant, and so she wouldn't go back into heat until almost her due date. So we were never sure if she was pregnant or not... until she started cooing again. She finally got pregnant for the first time in September and this time I saw the tell tale signs of pregnancy: the red swollen nipples. She gradually started looking bigger in the abdomen area too. However, not as big as some of Teresa's other pregnant cats. So we were not sure how many babies she would have. Keeta delivered on a snowy Tuesday night (11/23/2010) just before midnight. How many cute little babies did she have? (1) baby! Oh Keeta, you are not making this easy...

Regardless, he's a keeper! Mama Keeta and baby kitten are both doing well. Today, I got to bring them both back home to my house. In the next post, I will tell you about that drive! CRAZY!

Northgate: Condo for Sale

2010-10-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
If you or someone you know is looking to buy a GREAT place in a GREAT area for a GREAT price, have them check this link! This is a newly foreclosed condo in my building. (If the link doesn't seem to work, just look for the address on that website: 1942 N. Northgate Way, Seattle.)

This building was completely remodeled in 2008 so it's like new! There is a shared pool and plenty of parking. Lot's of quick access to I-5, bus routes, shopping, etc. Every unit is 2-story, 2-bedroom, 2 1/2 baths, and 1000+ square feet. Sell price is $149,900! At todays low mortgage rates, you'll be spending less than your rent now! Did I mention that you'd have GREAT neighbors??

Please pass this on to anyone you think would be interested.

http://www.estately.com/listings/info/1904-n-northgate-way--1#listings/info/1942-northgate-wy

Homeownership: bathroom dry rot

2010-10-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been a home owner for a year and a half now. Some of the things I've been dealing with as a new home owner have been fairly reasonable. Joining the HOA Board was definitely a good way to learn about my building, meet the neighbors and have a direct impact into what goes on with our dues, expenses, etc. Getting elected President of the HOA was a surprise! I am not sure how qualified I am for this role being a new home owner... but the rest of the group thought I would be good because (get this) I am organized, I respond to emails, and I have opinions. Good lord, that's all it takes?! I should learn to keep my big mouth shut!

Like I said I am learning a lot. I have been learning a lot about the operations, landscaping, and HOA insurance. Unfortunately I am also learning a lot about dues, collections, liens and foreclosures. This economy has taken a toll on some of our owners and I am dealing with the monetary and legal ramifications of that. Ugh!

On top of that, I realized I had some water damage in my main bathroom. Over the last couple months I have been noticing water on the floor in the hallway, on the outside wall of my bathtub. A small amount of water was appearing on the floor, under the molding so I thought that maybe the grout was cracking or leaking. Under some advice from my plumber, I didn't use the shower for several weeks (hoping that would dry out the interior of the wall). Then I purchased some caulk and went to town sealing up whatever grout lines or crevices that I could find. I thought I did a pretty good job! But over the months, the problem got worse. I started to see mold on the wall, and discoloration of the molding and wall. The wall felt wet to the touch. Worst of all, I started to see tiny bugs coming out of the wall! Gross!

I decided to call a plumbing company that I have worked with before. I described the issues and they sent out their plumber/contractor to check it out. He arrived on site and based on the visible damage, he also thought it was a bad tile job which was causing the water damage. This assessment was based on the fact that the last owner/remodel had set the tile directly on the sheet rock without any type of waterproof board in between. If water was leaking thru the grout, it would immediately soak the sheet rock and basically melt it. This was evidenced by the slight bowing of the wall near the faucet handle. The contractor thought that possibly all 4 walls were compromised, but without actually opening up the wall, couldn't be sure. Yes, my tub is actually surrounded by 4 walls with one wall being a shorter wall (allows for entry). This was the wall in question. In the end he gave me a quote for "worst-case scenario" which would mean the tear out of all the tile, cut thru the walls to remove any water damaged sheet rock, dry-rot, etc. Then rebuild the walls, re-tile, re-paint.

Worst-case scenario quote = $5800. Yikes! Well, I know I probably should have gotten some bids before starting the project, but I felt comfortable with the plumbing company that I had used in the past, and the contractor seemed very knowledgeable about what needed to happen. So I went ahead and told him to get started with opening up the walls. In doing this, we would be able to see instantly where the leaking was actually coming from. That would determine the extend of damage and we could move on from there.

Opening up the first wall was indeed tell-tale. He opened the wall where most of the visible damage seemed to be coming from (the short wall) that has the plumbing for the faucet. It was definitely a shoddy job, the copper pipes were not soldered together - they were glued together on the outside with some sort of clear epoxy. There pipes were glistening wet and clearly showing leakage. There was even an old rag that had been wrapped around the pipes there, which was rotted from the mold fell apart into pieces. You can see the BLACK sheetrock behind the pipes inside the wall opening. Sheetrock is supposed to be white! The shower tiles are affixed to this sheetrock so naturally it all had to come down and out.

The next hole in that same wall showed that the tiles around the bathtub were not properly sealed. The bathtub was also not level therefore gravity was pulling water drops from the edge of the tub into the grout, instead of into the tub. This was adding to the already moldy wet sheet rock in that wall.

The third cut was into the wall closest to the drain. It was here that my contractor found even more misery. The drain pipe had been cemented into the flooring with some sort of ready mix cement. The trap drain was also in this wall therefore limiting access to cleaning the trap. My contractor thought he would need to bring in a jack hammer to break up the cement, but as the cash register sounds in my brain were ching-chinging, I asked him to hold on. I asked him if that cemented drain was a problem NOW, or could it be a separate project later on. After doing a water pressure test, he agreed that it wasn't leaking so was not a current issue, but definitely would be an issue later on. The fact that the trap was buried in a wall with no access was also not up to code. I convinced him to leave those issues for now, and asked him to put a panel or cabinet door on that wall during re-build. Then I could easily monitor the drain pipe for leakage, have access to it in the future when it needed fixing, and have access to the trap.

The fourth cut into a third wall was to view the shower head and it's plumbing. Knowing that the plumbing around the faucet was so shoddy, he could only imagine that same plumbing led all the way up to the shower head. Sure enough the same plumbing fixes were used here as well. Small, daily leakage led to moldy wet sheet rock. Yikes!

The fix: my contractor removed all the wet sheet rock and dry-rot from the walls. He cut out any wet studs and replaced them with new cedar studs (bugs hate cedar so should double as a insect repellent for years to come). He replaced all the copper with a new fangled Swedish pvc tubing and refreshed the plumbing. He replaced the sheet rock and mudded the walls for tile and paint. He matched the paint perfectly (2 different colors)! He replaced the door and the moldings and he re-tiled the shower and grouted it. Now he just needs to come back to put a waterproof seal on the grout and do all the finishing touches. Should be done on Tuesday!! I will post the AFTER pictures when it's all done. Stay tuned!

Week of Sports

2010-09-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

Whew, the last week was a whirlwind. Lot's to do and see in Seattle. We have an abundance of fanfare in this town and I guess this was my week to enjoy them all! I started it off with a Mariner's game in Safeco Stadium. My company usually sponsors a suite for our best customers about once a year - always a good time!
http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=sea

Then I grabbed a friend and headed across the Cascade Mountains to see some of the Ellensburg Rodeo in my home town!
http://www.ellensburgrodeo.com/

Next I participated in a charity Golf Tournament at Newcastle Golf Course, benefiting Muscular Dystrophy. Again, ACS was a sponsor.
http://www.newcastlegolf.com/

Then hit the Seattle Sounders FC match - courtesy of my friends sweet (suite) tickets!
http://www.soundersfc.com/Tickets/Single-Game-Tickets.aspx

Finally I watched the Husky game from the seats I won in a charity auction benefiting cancer research.
http://www.gohuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/wash-m-footbl-sched.html

Melanoma... it's not really a beauty mark...

2010-09-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

In the last couple of months I have noticed a crazy freckle on my lip that seems to have grown to enormous size! Of course, when things like that happen gradually over time, you tend to overlook the obvious. I mean, I was seeing it in pictures and wondering how/when it got big like that - but I wasn't paying that much attention to it. Friends who hadn't seen me in a while would comment on it. So I finally took a look back at some pictures from the last year and made some notes on the changes. The first photo to the left is from last September 2009. This is me on the plane to Greece! You can see one brown freckle on the right side. However, it's the faint brown spot on the LEFT that has grown!

Last summer, no freckle. By late September I could see the start of a brown dot on my lower lip. Over the months, the dot grew bigger and darker. The photo to the right shows the freckle in January 2010.

Here is the freckle in May 2010.
I had a suspicion that this was cause for concern, but I put it off because I felt like I had been dealing with too many other medical issues at the time. When my good friend Sheila told me to "go get that thing checked out" I had to comply. If you know Sheila, and what she's had to deal with (breast cancer) you don't say NO to her! ;-)

Finally in Aug 2010, I made an appointment with my dermatologist (Kelly Stevens at Pacific Dermatology & Cosmetic Center http://www.pacificdermcenter.com/ ). I went in to see her last Friday, armed with some digital proof of the growth. She took one look at me and my photos and said that it looked like melanoma. She also brought in another surgeon for a second opinion. Yes, they both agreed that a biopsy was needed that day.

The biopsy was easy. They simply stuck a needle in my lip and gave me some numbing meds. Once I couldn't feel anything, they did a 2mm punch biopsy on the area. The tool looked like one of the small leather working tools I used to play with in my Dad's old leather shop in Bellingham! After the tissue was removed, Dr. Stevens sewed my lip together with a stitch and gave me some ointment to put on it for the next week.
I went to work with a bloody, fat lip that day. I couldn't eat or drink without drooling on myself! Not pretty! However, I had a weekend full of events with friends so I just had to suck it up and check my vanity at the door.

RESULTS: I received my biopsy results today and it’s good news! The pathology report shows no melanoma or skin cancer cells. Apparently it is just a sun spot or freckle that got huge. Whew! I go back to the dermatologist to get the stitches out on Friday. Then I have to wait for the lip to be completely healed (4-6 weeks) and they will treat it with liquid nitrogen to freeze off the brown mark. The freezing will blister and scab and should take about 7-10 days to heal. Again, not pretty for a while, but worth it in the end.

Hey friends, this is a good reminder for all of us to check our bodies and note any changes. Freckles, sun spots, and moles can be indicators of something more. Be sure to scan your own body frequently after a shower. Notice your own markings and keep mental notes. If you start to see changes in color, shape and texture of these markings, you might want to see a dermatolgist.

From the Mayo Clinic website: Characteristics of unusual moles/spots that may indicate melanomas or other skin cancers follow the A-B-C-D-E guide developed by the American Academy of Dermatology:

■A is for asymmetrical shape. Look for moles with irregular shapes, such as two very different-looking halves.
■B is for irregular border. Look for moles with irregular, notched or scalloped borders — characteristics of melanomas.
■C is for changes in color. Look for growths that have many colors or an uneven distribution of color.
■D is for diameter. Look for new growth in a mole larger than about 1/4 inch (6 millimeters).
■E is for evolving. Look for changes over time, such as a mole that grows in size or that changes color or shape. Moles may also evolve to develop new signs and symptoms, such as new itchiness or bleeding.

For more information, click link below.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/melanoma/DS00439/DSECTION=symptoms

2010 Long Beach WA

2010-08-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

Just got back from another great weekend in Long Beach (WA)! This is an annual trip for me and my friends. Some of them have been doing it 10+ years. I think this is my 6th trip to Long Beach with this group. It's funny to note that when we first started going, most everyone was single and had no kids. Back then we stayed in a crappy little motel that let us rent out all their cabins, have dogs, and have full reign of the place. As the years go by and we get older, we have moved upward as far as comfort and amenities. It's been a gradual change but a necessary one - especially for the couples with kids! We actually drove by the old "Boulevard Motel" last year and found that it had been condemned. This year, the whole place has been leveled - just a grassy knoll with one last pile of rubble. Ah, the memories there! ;-)

The place we stay now is really nice. While it's got it's own more private beach area, it's is actually a couple miles out of town. So we have to drive into "town" to see the main part of Long Beach. This year, it seemed the Kite Festival was a little lacking compared to last. Maybe it was because the weather report said "highs of 54" that some stayed home? Or maybe it was the lack of a better wind that kept some kite-ers from showing up? Either way, the sky was not littered with as many colorful kites as before. We had expected a cold weekend, but were pleasantly surprised with our luck. We actually had sun, and it got pretty hot, so we were happy! We did wander around town a little bit to see some shops. Long Beach is full of souvenir shops, kite shops and candy shops! They have world famous ice cream there - and the shop just keeps getting bigger and bigger every time we go in! In one such specialty chocolate shop, we actually found chocolate covered bacon! Of course we had to try a piece. It was interesting - but surprisingly good. The bacon was thick and chewy, and the combination with the chocolate made for a chocolate, smokey, salty treat! We also sampled a chocolate covered Ritz cracker with peanut butter layers. Yum!

Long Beach weekend is a fun time: road trip, dive-bar hopping, kareoke, dancing, drinking, group breakfast, beach-sun-fun, kids playing in water, fly some kites, group dinners, play dominoes, card games, shopping, site seeing, lunch, go-karts.... whew!

Thank you!

2010-08-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

I am heading back to work tomorrow after having two full weeks off. The surgery went well and the recovery was better than expected. I haven't taken a pain med in over a week so I am feeling pretty good! Thank you so much to everyone who helped me through it! From the people who came to the hospital, to the friends who brought me meals, and the peeps who sent flowers and cards, emails and texts. Your support means so much to me. I love you all! (pictured: my uterus! HA!)

Post Surgery Report

2010-07-24T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived! My hysterectomy surgery was Friday, check in time at 12:30PM. My surgeon's prior surgery that day went longer than expected so I was 2 hours late getting into the Operating Room. Which meant a lot of sitting around and waiting. When they finally took me to the pre-op room to prepare me for surgery, I was kind of tired already so it was easy to nap on the gurney while I waited. The pre-surgery team got me ready by giving me a gown and some socks, taking my vitals and inserting my IV tube. We talked about anesthesia and what to expect there. Since this was my first surgery, I had no idea what my reactions to anesthesia would be so they thought they would give me some anti-nausea medicine in the IV when I started to come around. When I finally got wheeled into the OR it must have been about 4:30 PM. They moved me from the gurney to the operating table, and I got positioned on the table. Next they put an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth and they told me to breathe it in deeply. It was at this point that the anesthesia starts coming thru the IV. I remember breathing deeply and looking at the big while light above me. Then nothing..... OUT COLD!

When I woke up I was being wheeled into the recovery room. The clock on the wall said 9:10PM. Whoa - that was a long surgery! I got transferred into the hospital bed and they hooked me up to the IV machine. They gave me my options for pain meds and of course they offered vicodin. I told them that the vicodin doesn't seem to work for me, the last time I had it just made me wide awake and still feeling pain. The nurse said "well let's try it and if that doesn't work we can switch it up. Fine. I was still out of it so I couldn't really argue. I had my first visitor at 10PM. I remember her being there, but I also remember not being able to keep my eyes open. Weird. My mom was by my side until I made her go home around 11PM. I told her I would be fine and she needed to get some sleep too.

Around midnight I was still unable to sleep. The vicodin definitely wasn't working. I was wide awake and now getting hungry, since I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours. I asked for something stronger - and some apple juice. The nurse brought me apple juice, apple sauce and vanilla pudding. I ate it all! Next they added Morphine to my IV. That started feeling better and I thought I was going to sleep finally. By 2AM, I woke up again. This time it was because my bladder was so uncomfortable. I had a ton of pressure to pee, but I was on a catheter, so wasn't sure why. I called for the nurse, but she was unavailable so the tech on duty came in. This guy was a character! An older, gruff & grumbly man with more aches and pains than me! He checked the IV and saw that it was working, but he did notice that the tube was taped to my leg wrong, so it could be preventing flow. Sure enough, as soon as he fixed it, I think I filled 2 bags. Ahh!

By 4:30AM, my tech dude, who now has nicknamed me "trouble" came in to take vitals. After that, I swear someone was waking me up every hour for something... blood draw, IV check, remove IV, remove catheter, get up and walk down the hall, etc. By 7AM I could order breakfast from a menu. I was sooo hungry I ordered a little bit of everything! I ordered pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage links, blue berry muffin, pears, banana, apple juice and a diet 7UP. By the time breakfast came, it was 8AM and I was pretty uncomfortable. I asked for some pain meds and hoped they would bring it soon. As a result I could barely eat any of my breakfast. Bummer!

My surgeon came to check on me and he recapped what had happened. He said it was a tough surgery as my uterus was the size of a large honey dew melon and hard to get around it with his laparoscopic tools. He said there were a few times he thought he was going to have to cut me open and he wished he had been more persistent with me in getting me on that drug to help shrink the uterus. But I am glad I didn't take them! And he was able to do the whole surgery without cutting me open. Yeah! He showed me some pictures of my uterus and ovaries. Weird. The pictures looked just like the ones I had seen on the Internet! Luckily the ovaries and tubes looked good so they didn't need to come out. My bladder and appendix also looked good. So there were no surprises! He asked me if I had any questions and I had only one: where were the pain meds?! He said he would go check with the Dr-on-call and give him a push.

Around noon, I had another walk up and down the hall and had attempted to go to the bathroom on my own. A couple of friends came to visit and they brought me flowers! So nice! The Dr-on-call brought me my prescriptions... the paper ones. I said thank you, I will get these filled when I leave here..... uh, but could I please get something NOW? Like right now? Come on! So I finally got a oxy-codone right at the time they said I could be discharged. My mom arrived and my 2 friends helped get me, my flowers and stuff to the car.

My mom drove me to her house and got me settled into her guest room. Then she headed to the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions. She came back shortly and said that the pharmacy didn't recognize the doctors name so they couldn't fill the prescriptions until they could confirm with my Dr's office on Monday. What?? Noooo! So I asked her to call the surgery center and explain that I just left there and that the Dr-on-call should still be there. He was still there and was able to fax in new prescriptions to the pharmacy. My mom headed down there again, only to find that the pharmacy was closed and wouldn't open again until 11AM on Sunday. Crap! So I spent my first 24 hours without pain meds and no sleep! Irritating. When I got the oxy-codone on Sunday afternoon it was like heaven! The pain in my abdomen disappeared and I finally fell asleep.

I have been home that last couple days and feeling better and better every day. I haven't had a pain pill since Friday so I think I am healing nicely. I got my pathology report yesterday and it confirmed that the tumors and tissue they removed were all benign (no cancerous cells)! Yay!

On the Wagon

2010-07-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday my surgeon's nurse called me and left me a message. She said they got my blood work back and my white blood cell count was low. She said the doc faxed over a couple prescriptions for anti-biotics that I needed to pick up and start right away. I tried to call back and ask more questions. What does a low white blood cell count mean? Why do I need to take anti-biotics? Do I have an infection? Since I was leaving a message after hours, I figured I wouldn't get a call back that evening. So I went to the pharmacy and picked up my meds. One of them was called Ciprofloxacin. An anti-biotic used to treat Anthrax and other chemical warfare. WTF?? The other anti-biotic is called Metronidazol. The first thing I read about this one is that it is known to cause cancer in laboratory rats. Come on! What infection do I have that warrants this? The pharmacist asked me if I had ever taken these drugs before and I said no. I didn't even know what they were for? I explained to her that I was scheduled for surgery next Friday. That seemed to make sense to her, so she explained that it sounded like they were just trying to bump up my white blood cell count in order to help my body fight off potential infection related to my upcoming surgery. OK, whew, that makes more sense. No problem, I will start them tonight. Then the pharmacist tells me I can't drink alcohol with these anti-biotics. She said I would get violently ill if mixed with alcohol, even mouthwash! Uh, problem! Don't they know I was planning on whooping it up all weekend before my surgery?! I had a date with the Mariners on Thursday night. My company sponsored a suite for our customers including all the food and alcohol you could consume. Tickets with the girls to Zane Lamprey's "Drinking Made Easy" Comedy Tour on Friday. The crowd at this thing was determined to be drunk, even the comics/crew on stage were pounding the beers during their sets! BBQ and house party on Saturday. Tailgating and Sounders game on Sunday. Again, a kick-ass suite courtesy of my friends tickets and the Delille Cellars crew. And now I had to do all these things without drinking. Great, thanks Doc! But hey, it's only a week, right?! ;-) So after a long weekend as designated driver, I gotta say, it wasn't that big of a deal. Luckily I can have just as much fun without drinking AND I get up earlier the next morning. HA! I just came back from a concert at the Zoo (Carbon Leaf) and even though it would have been nice to share some wine with my friends, or actually have a beer when standing in the beer garden, it was a beautiful evening! Good weather, good music and good friends!

Two days until surgery. I should get my check in time tomorrow. Will keep you all posted!

Fibroids - Part 2

2010-07-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Here is an update to my earlier post about the fibroids/hysterectomy.

I have finally decided to move forward with the hysterectomy. I’ve spent some time researching the process on line and also looking into the costs and stuff. My insurance website has a calculator for predicting out-of-pocket expenses on normal procedures. When I looked up hysterectomies it told me my out of pocket would be over $13,000! Luckily my gyno had given me the procedure code for the hysterectomy so I was able to call my insurance company and ask them the real price. I did confirm with my insurance that the surgery is covered 80% after my deductibles. I have already met my deductible with all the Dr visits I’ve had so far this year. So my out of pocket will be about $1500 in the end. Much better than $13,000!! So I figured it’s time to get it scheduled.

Last week I called my gynecologists office to see about getting a surgery date for the abdominal hysterectomy. I ended up speaking to her nurse and I was able to ask her a couple more questions about recovery time and such. Then she started telling me about another surgeon she works for who is an expert at minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic or “robotic” surgery). She recommended I speak with him in case he could do it laparoscopic-ally for me. So while I thought that was weird to be referred away from the nice lady gyno I had talked to, I ended up making an appointment with him for a second opinion. I figured if I can get a laparoscopic removal the incisions would be tiny and less scarring, less scar tissue, and faster recovery time – over the abdominal surgery which is a lot like a c-section. I met with him on Friday and he checked me out. He was really nice and wanted to talk to me about my “options” for having children. He said there were procedures I could consider if I still wanted a chance to have my own children. But just like the other gyno, the reality of me having children right now is slim to none, not just because of the fibroids, or my age, but because I am not in a relationship or trying to be a single mom right now. His options are the same as what I have heard before: Basically, try and remove the fibroids which "could" give me a 1-3 year window with which to have a child. Removal is a similar surgery to a hysterectomy, and it would remove large fibroids that are visible. However, I could have many other fibroids in there that could start growing too. Typically the ultrasound doesn't show the fibroids that are less than 1-2cm and my Dr has past history that shows when a woman has 5 showing on the ultrasound, there could be as many as 10-20 more that are too small to measure on the ultrasound. So even if the large fibroids are removed and the window is potentially opened up for a couple years, there will be more fibroids growing and causing the same problems for me. This would result in needing to have the hysterectomy anyway. The other problem is my age and eggs. He said that without "help" a woman over 40 is not going to be very successful conceiving a healthy child. It can be done - but that is a whole other process with infertility treatments, invitro, etc. So conceiving a child would be half the battle, the other half would be whether a child could grow inside a damaged (scar tissue) uterus with more fibroids growing and feeding off the blood (nutrients) that are meant for baby. The chances of miscarriage are high. I have come to the realization that I want kids and family, but I don't necessarily need to birth a child of my own. I will be ok with adoption or welcoming other children that come into my life.

This is always a difficult conversation for me to have so of course there were some tears. But the end result is that, I need to have the hysterectomy, especially after the disgusting period I just recently had (am still having!). What he wants to do is try and shrink my uterus as much as possible before the surgery. He does this with multiple shots of Depot Lupron. This drug temporarily stops the hormone production of estrogen which causes the fibroids to shrink. As the fibroids shrink, so does my uterus. A normal uterus is 70-80 ccs. He says mine is 700 cc’s making it 10 times larger than normal. Ugh! So the only way to safely remove my big ole uterus is to try and shrink it first and then he goes in laparoscopic ally to chop it up into pieces, the pieces will come out thru my vagina. Talk about TMI, huh?! Oh, and the “BEST” part is… this drug will put me into menopause so I should expect hot flashes, night sweats, dizziness, loss of sexual desire and all the other lovely side effects of menopause. But hey, he is the expert right? He should know the best route. So I agreed and actually got on his surgery calendar. First off, I need to immediately go off birth control. Then come in for a biopsy. He needs to make sure that I am NOT pre-cancerous anywhere. He gave me a prescription for some meds that I need to shove up my vagina before the biopsy. This is supposed to help soften my cervix area – but said it will lead to major cramping. Lovely!

Then after the biopsy results indicate that I am not pre-cancerous, we can move forward with the shots of Depot Lupron. The first shot will induce a period again (even though I am just ending my current one). But the 2nd shot should eliminate any further periods. He would like me to get one shot a month for 4 months. That would put my surgery into Nov/Dec and that is our really busy time of the year. I asked him if there was any way we could get it done before summer ends (as summer is predictably slow for us) so it would give me more time to recover. So he is fast tracking the process for me. We are hoping to get 3 shots in between next week and Aug 24th – which is my surgery date. I will go in a week before surgery and he will check me out to make sure I’ve had enough shrinkage to allow the surgery to happen. This surgery would take approx 4 hours and he would probably go thru 3 or 4 cutting tools! He recommends that I take 2 solid weeks off work for recovery. I should be on pain meds for 3 days after but I could be ok to drive on the 4th day. But he wants me to not work and to walk instead. He has a whole walking therapy that he wants me to do in my time off. This helps the body recover more quickly?

I went home and cried some more. Like I’ve told you I am highly emotional! My high school friends, Jill and Ken (and Kristen) were actually at my house already because they were staying the night with me and we were going to Brenna’s wedding. (Yes, my high school friend Stephanie’s oldest daughter got married! She is 22 now. She just graduated pre-med from WSU and is headed to LA for medical school this fall.) Jill was very comforting as she has been dealing for years with endometriosis, cysts and even had a fibroid too. She never did get a hysterectomy, as she has been able to manager her pain and discomfort with a progesterone cream that she uses daily. Never the less, it was good to talk to her. I quickly changed and freshened up and we were off to the wedding. It was a really nice time. The wedding was held in Robinswood Park near Bellevue Community College. It’s a beautiful park and it has a main house on it that the gals got ready in. Luckily the rains held off and it was a nice outdoor ceremony.

******
Back to the hysterectomy, I have been doing some research on the "shot" that he wants to give me. Depot Lupron seems like a nasty drug and the side effects are much worse than I thought. Yes, the Dr told me I would basically go into menopause and have hot flashes and night sweats, but he didn't really say anything about the other side effects that I've been reading about. Migraines, depression, weight gain, acne and suicidal tendencies are just some of the fabulous prizes behind door number 1?! Some women have experienced long lasting side effects even after going off the shot: thyroid issues, weight issues, sweat gland issues. Some women report that 4-5 months of the shot didn't even shrink their fibroids at all? And the shot is apparently really expensive so I need to do some research on that. It doesn't seem like it's worth it all - just to avoid a big scar and longer healing time?

I called the nurse and talked to her about this. She said she hasn’t seen these other bad side effects in their patients. Of course. But I feel very determined about NOT taking the shot and not putting my body thru menopause. If that means I have to have an abdominal hysterectomy then so be it. I mean, it seems like I’d go thru 3 months of emotional and physical hell – just to have a lesser scar and 2 weeks less healing time. To be honest, it seems like trying to shrink my uterus is only helping the surgeon have an easier time in surgery – it’s not really doing anything for me. So that is how I feel. The nurse said I should keep my Wed appoint for the biopsy and I could bring up all my concerns with Dr. Rothblatt then. So I did.

I am not going to lie... Medically, yesterday was the worst experience of my life so far. Thank god Staci went with me and was able to drive me. My appointment was at 2PM. I had gotten a prescription for a drug that I was supposed to take four hours before the biopsy. The drug was called Misoprostol and it comes in a tablet form. Yet, you shove them up your vagina with your finger? Weird. An hour after shoving the meds up my vagina, I had the worst cramps of my life. By the time Staci got here I had thrown up, had diarrhea, and had soaked all my clothes and hair in sweat. I was miserable and there was no way I could have gotten to the clinic by myself. Once there, I was told my surgeon was held up in an emergency surgery so I had to wait. I basically laid down on a window seat in the fetal position. After half hour, they gave me an exam room to wait in. I tossed and turned on that exam table trying to get comfortable. I had to run to the restroom every ten minutes because I needed to pee – but couldn’t. It was EXACTLY like the time in Ellensburg when I apparently passed a kidney stone! The nurse came in and asked if I wanted to try and get the tablets out of my vagina to ease the pain. I tried to go in the bathroom and stick my finger up there but the tablets had dissolved (duh!) and all I could get was some crumbly residue. So the nurse gave me a pain killer shot in the butt - which didn't help. I had chills and was sweating. I had a blanket over me and a puke bag at my side. I was a mess. Finally my Doc came in after 2 hours. He apologized but had been called into an emergency surgery that couldn’t be helped. He said he would give me a few minutes to undress and come back in. I said “stop – don’t go anywhere!” I totally undressed right in front of him and said “Get to it”! I didn’t want to wait any longer. I told him I checked my pride at the door already. I didn’t care about formalities any longer. You should have seen me. My hair was like a mad woman, I was moaning and groaning, and barking orders. Staci wished she had a camera! She had never seen me in such a state. He opened me up and immediately used a numbing agent on my cervix and uterus. This didn’t stop the pain. Then he washed out the remaining medicine tablet residue before he started the biopsy. The end result is that he couldn't even get a biopsy because my fibroids are so big they were in the way. Argh!??

He said he wasn’t going to make me go thru this again. He thinks he got enough of the “area” cells to see if there are any malignancies or cancer cells. He said “well now you know what labor pains feel like!” Nice. I told him that I was definitely NOT going to use the Lupron drug. I asked him to be honest with me and if he didn’t think he could do the laparoscopic surgery without shrinking my uterus, I was fine with an abdominal surgery. He said he could do it. He agreed that he would try it laparoscopic-ally and if worst case scenario happened, he could cut me open and do the abdominal. He set me up with some vicodin and I was able to go home. Even the vicodin didn’t help. I think my body repels pain meds. It’s not fair!! The cramping meds finally wore down and I was feeling better by 7PM. I went to bed at 11 and still had some cramps though – 12 hours later!! Today, I need to call his office and get on his surgery schedule for a new date. I want to do this as soon as possible and since I don’t need to wait until August 24th now, I am hoping to get it done in July.

I now know what the Misoprostol drug is commonly used for. It is to induce labor, or induce abortion. AND “other” gynecological uses like to soften the cervix to allow for “interuterine devices”. That would probably be the long-ass speculum and q-tips to scrape? Uh, if I would have known about the all day cramps and pain, I would have told him to just stick the speculum up there drug free, take your biopsy, and if I complain you can punch me in the gut several times. THAT would have been less painful than the 12 hours of contractractions I went thru!

Whew! That about sums up the last week. I am still waiting for a call back from my surgeon's scheduler. When she calls me I will have a better date for the surgery. I don't need to wait until August now, so hopefully I can get in July.

Thank you Staci for going with me and getting me thru the day. I wouldn't have made it without you! Thank you Jodi for coming by to check on me, and bring me food and sweets! I appreciate you both so much!

Miki's Flowers

2010-06-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my friend Miki! She is a local Seattle florist and she has had her business (http://www.mikisflowers.com/) since 1994. Miki has become a huge name in the wedding arena and just got her flowers pictured on the FRONT PAGE of Seattle Metropolitan Bride and Groom magazine! They also featured another one of her bouquets inside the magazine as well. Now this isn't the first time her floral arrangements have been in Seattle Metropolitan Bride, but I believe this is her first cover. Way to go! Look for the July issue in stores.
You can see more of her "toasts" here: http://www.mikisflowers.com/toasts.html

Fremont Fair 2010

2010-06-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the Annual Solstice Parade in Fremont. It's been a long standing tradition amongst my group of friends to pre-party, watch the parade, and hit the beer gardens. This year was no different! We started the action at our friend KG's pad at 10AM. Normally the weather gods tend to shine on us favorably every year but this year was a little misty. This little derailment meant a change of scenery from the roof top deck to inside the condo... but no worries, everyone fit and we had a blast! At noon, we loaded up some "roadies" and headed down the block to the parade route. We usually congregate on the corner of 34th and Albion which is typically the end of the parade. This means the naked bikers take the time to circle around and let the photographers get a couple more shots before they call it a day. Enjoy the pictures!

PS. I took the time to post the link to the website in case you want to get it on the calendar for next year! I am also posting some FAQ's from their website that I thought were interesting to note. http://www.fremontfair.org/
What is the etiquette with body paint?

We won’t deny it. The Fremont Fair and Solstice Parade are partially famous for body-painted bicyclists and revelers who magically appear every year and make this event truly one of a kind.
If you are one of the body painted participants, PLEASE NOTE:
•The Fremont restaurants and bars greatly appreciate if you can carry a towel with you to place on the chair/booth while you dine and drink. They love to have you in their establishments, but please be respectful of their furnishings if you have paint that may rub off.
•Remember that many families do attend the Fair, with small children in tow. While Fair-goers typically wholly embrace the free spirit of the event, when planning your costume/paint scheme, please be considerate of a child’s eye level in conjunction with potential painted body parts that may be exposed. Rude and obscene behavior at the Fremont Fair will not be tolerated and individuals will be asked to leave.
•If you are not on a bike you need to cover it up.

And there you go!

Trapeze

2010-06-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

I love Groupons. I love getting a deal. So when a Groupon popped up in my email for Trapeze lessons at Emerald City Trapeze, I was intrigued. I mean... I have a fear of heights, I have a fear of falling, and I can't do a pull up to save my life. So of course I bought a Groupon for Trapeze lessons!?! DOH!

I talked a couple friends into doing it with me and after weeks of synching our calendars, a couple player changes and a time change, we made an appointment for Sunday June 13. (I'm not even going to mention the last minute cancel by SOMEONE who apparently had TOO MUCH FUN the night before and couldn't join us because they came down with the brown bottle flu... yeah you know who you are!)

Cindy and I got to Emerald City Aerialdome in the Sodo area (6th and Lander) and we got signed up. Please note that the paperwork does include proof of health insurance, next of kin emergency contact and a death waiver. We were introduced to our instructors and 5 other "students" all there to "go flying". We started with a couple minutes of upper body stretches to get loose. Then the instructors fitted us with a belt which would later be attached to the safety cables. The instructors gave us a quick rundown of the program on the floor, to show us what they expected we would be doing on the trapeze. This expectation included a drop off a 30 foot high platform, fly thru the air, then kick your legs up to hook your knees on the bar, let go of bar to hang upside down, reach back (as if reaching for a partner "catch"), grab the bar again, drop your legs, pump your legs for more momentum, back flip off the bar and land in the net. "And everyone will do that three times. Now who wants to go first?" Huh, what...? Wait... I am going to need some more time to process this. Can't we do this in small steps?

The first volunteer was a tiny little gal who did the whole sequence with perfection. Another petite thing followed her and again, nailed it. Hmmm, seems easy enough. (Found out later that they were gymnasts/dancers/cheerleaders.... yeah...ok) Finally some other people went and I actually saw the same fear I was feeling. I saw the shaking legs, I saw the hesitation when being told to jump off the platform, I saw the angry concentration in their faces. OK, this is getting "real". I am nervous. My friend Cindy was next. She was a trooper. I could tell she was nervous getting up the ladder and I could see her silently contemplating how to make the transition from the ladder to the platform. But she did it with grace. The cables were attached to her belt and she went into position to grab the bar and make her first jump. I saw a little hesitation on the jump... one foot left the platform, then went right back. There was a little encouraging from the strong instructor and she went flying. She did great! I will admit that I was secretly glad she didn't get her knees on the bar for the upside down maneuver. Honestly I was getting tired of everyone nailing it and knowing I would probably NOT. So it made me feel a little better. (Shh, don't tell her I was thinking that...)

Then it was my turn. I started my ascent up the ladder and immediately realized how shaky it was. Disturbing. The ladder rungs were tiny and I was in bare feet so it was imperative to make sure the ball of my foot was placed perfectly on each rung for maximum support. This probably took more time than expected because the instructor on the platform actually had to look down to see if I was still there. It was about this time that I looked around and realized how high I was, and how it was going to be really scary on that platform. I basically froze up and went into retreat mode. I looked up at the instructor and said "no.... can't....". Then I cautiously made my way back down the ladder. I heard the other instructors telling me "come on, you were almost there", "don't look down", and "you can do it". But my mind was already made up, it wasn't happening. I got onto the ground and immediately started weeping. I was nervous, scared, embarrassed, and disappointed. I couldn't stop crying even when the instructors reassured me that it was ok, it happens, and I could try again whenever I felt ready.

I sat down and let everyone go on their second swing on the trapeze. I watched everyone very carefully this time. I wanted to make sure I saw exactly how they went up the ladder and precisely how they got onto the platform. To me these were the biggest obstacles. I didn't even care about the jump/swing part. I knew that this girl would not be going upside down.... or doing any type of back summer sault dismount. But getting up the ladder, now that was the challenge. After that, I could simply hurl my self straight off the platform and be done with it all.

So, I tried again. I started climbing up the ladder. I got a little higher than the first time. I had a ton of encouragement from the instructors and students. But... I couldn't do it. I had to go back down. This time the frustration tears came more quickly. I went to the bathroom and sobbed a little harder. Why did I think I could do this? What is my problem - why do I have a paralyzing fear of heights? Maybe it's the fact that the last two months have been so emotional? Damn.

Enjoy the pictures of Cindy!

http://emeraldcitytrapeze.com/

Rest In Peace Richard Adams

2010-06-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

May was a bad month. I already spoke of this in my last post. It gets worse. I mentioned before that some of my friends were going thru personal tragedies that put my issues into perspective. Yes, my issues can be dealt with and I will live on. My friend Richard was not so lucky. Richard passed away early this morning after a five week battle with stomach cancer. His new bride (and one of my best friends) will be forever changed after this.

Here is a recap:
Richard went into the hospital on Cinco De Mayo (May 5th) with swollen and sore legs. An ultrasound revealed blood clots in his legs as the cause of the pain. The Doctors immediately put him on blood thinners and inserted a screen like thingy into his leg to catch any clots that might travel to the brain. (Blood clots to the brain can cause strokes or immediate death.) The following day, they did more tests and found blood clots in his lungs as well. More investigating revealed that the blood clots are coming from a tumor in his stomach. His diagnosis on 5/7/2010 was this: stomach cancer, with a gastric bleed, already spreading to his esophagus, non-operable, 7 months to live.

Richard has spent the last 5 weeks in the battle for his life. His only real course for treatment was to begin aggressive chemotherapy right away and potentially stop more spreading while hopefully shrinking the tumor. Unfortunately he never actually got to receive any treatment for the cancer because the blood clots became the enemy. Complications with blood clots led to several stays in the hospital and several minor strokes. The result of the strokes made for a body that wasn’t strong enough to survive chemotherapy. His new choices were:
a.) Go on blood thinners to prevent more blood clots. The risk being a fatal hemorrhage in his stomach or brain.
b.) Stay off blood thinners. The risk being that eventually a blood clot will hit his brain or some other organ and be the cause of his death.
Either way, his life expectancy was now 2 weeks to 2 months.

Richard chose option A in order to give him more time with his girlfriend and family. They had planned to get married "someday" and the new diagnosis meant things had changed, time was of the essence. They planned a wedding for 5 days later. During this time, Richards blood levels would need to be maintained. With a gastric bleed AND blood thinners, he was going to lose blood and would need to have transfusions to keep his blood levels up.

On Saturday May 29th, Richard and Staci were married at their home in Woodinville. It was as beautiful of a ceremony as it could be given the circumstances. A ton of Richards friends showed up and it was a full house. It was a bittersweet mix of emotion: happy, sad, happy, sad.

On Sunday after the wedding, Richard was back in the hospital for more blood transfusions. This seemed to stable him for the week. Richard even made it to the Sounders game that Saturday! Richard and Staci are season ticket holders for the Sounders in a suite. Luckily, Staci was able to take Richard to the match and he sat in his wheelchair for the whole game. He was so excited to be there! Soccer was just one of Richards passions. So it’s very fitting that he died today, the day of World Cup.

By Monday of this week, Richard was vomiting blood and taken back to the ER in an ambulance. The doctors had determined that he was losing too much blood internally being on the blood thinners. They took him off the blood thinners and it was only a matter of days before his body was full of clots. The clots were causing strokes and because of those, he basically lost all body function and was mostly unconscience. On Thursday, Staci had to make the heart wrenching decision to take him off all life support and IV’s (food/water). This was in accordance to his living will directives and she wanted to honor those wishes. It’s what needed to happen, but it’s a terrible thing to watch a loved one slowly die. Staci had to be strong and unselfish at this point and I commend her bravery.

On Friday, I got to spend most of the day with Richard, Staci, Richards mom and sister in the hospital. I was able to see him, say good bye and let him know that we would all take care of Staci and not to worry. I stayed with them thru the transfer from Overlake Hospital to the Evergreen Hospital’s Hospice Care Center. The new facility was beautiful, serene and lovely. The anticipation was that he would be there only a few days. Honestly, I am relieved it didn’t take even that long. For all their sakes. Richard was able to let go on June 12, 2010 at 5:30AM.

Please keep Staci in your hearts and minds in the coming weeks/months. This is going to be a difficult time for her. Peace and Love!

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." -- Gilda Radner

May Funk

2010-06-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

The month of May was kind of crappy. I was in a funk and couldn't seem to get out of it. I think I cried every day in May over one thing or another. It started off with an annual exam. I had decided to try a new Dr because the one I had been going to didn’t seem to have much interest in me and never really had any answers for my medical questions. After some research on the web, I found a new Dr at the Polyclinic at Northgate who met my criteria. It is literally right next door to my condo so very convenient. She was cool and seemed to listen to me and she had answers for all my questions. She took particular interest when I told her about really heavy periods, break thru bleeding, and the fact that I get up 3 times a night to pee. When she did my pelvic exam, she told me she felt like my uterus was “heavy”. A heavy uterus could signify fibroid tumors - and recommended I have them checked out. She said they are almost never cancerous, but they do create havoc with periods and can cause other female issues.

Photo of a normal uterus to the left. Uterus with fibroids below.

She set me up with an ultrasound the following week and the lab tech confirmed that I do have fibroids. I have 5 that can be seen and measured. They range in size from 2-7 centimeters (7 cm = about 3 inches = the length of my index finger). Basically fibroids are masses of bloody tissue. They feed off blood so as long as my body is producing estrogen and I have periods, they will continue to grow. They cause excessive bleeding and menstrual pain, they cause break thru bleeding during the month, and they basically make me sterile. The end result is that I am going to need a hysterectomy to take out the uterus. So the crux of it is, I am never going to be able to have children of my own. Hearing this news made me really sad. Yes, I am 40 now and I already knew the ability to have my own children was already questionable, but I guess I was still living in a fantasy world that I might meet someone, fall in love, get married and have children. This was a cold bucket of icy water.

Since finding out, I have met with a gynecologist who specializes in female reproductive issues and who also does her own surgeries. She confirmed that the size and number of my fibroids meant that I wasn’t going to get pregnant even if I had good eggs and tried right now. The fibroids block the cervix so nothing is getting thru it. If a sperm should happen to make it thru, the chance of a miscarriage is high because the fibroids are taking up room in my uterus that a baby would need to grow. Plus the fibroids feed off the nutrients in the blood, thereby depriving a growing fetus of the nutrients it needs. On top of that, I need to stay on birth control to keep my periods under control! Yeah, getting pregnant is NOT happening here. My uterus is 7 times bigger than a normal one. The largest fibroid sits on my bladder like a rock and this is the reason I have to pee all the time. The ironic thing is that the fibroids are so big that it’s equivalent to being 4 months pregnant. So not only am I sad about never having children, but I feel completely fat, gross, defective and old.

OK, I know you are thinking I am feeling sorry for myself. I am. I admit it. Deep down I know there are other ways to have a family and I know that I have options. Realistically, it's not the end of the world. Still, I have been sad and I can’t shake it. I think a lot of it has to do with the reality that I am not where I thought I would be at 40. I never imagined I would be single at this age. I never imagined that I would not have kids by now. I feel like I missed out on a lot of years, perhaps wasted time, or made bad decisions? I don't know. I do know this... I am NOT trying to be a single mom right now. I have never wanted that life. I know how hard it can be, and I don't think I would be the best mom I could be in that situation. I only want a family when it's right for me and my future partner. So I need to move on with my decision to have a surgery and get a hysterectomy.

There are some other sad things that are happening too so it adds to my overall funk. Some of my friends are dealing with tragedies beyond comprehension right now. Their troubles overshadow my personal stuff so I have that perspective in line. But it also makes it harder to be positive right now.

In the end, I think I will get over it soon enough. At least I am not dying right? I simply have to have a surgery and I’ll feel better internally.

Took a break?!

2010-06-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I just looked at the last post and realized it was last November?! Oops. I have been re-miss with blogging. Let's just blame Facebook, shall we. It's a spare time suckage.

Instead of trying to "catch up" and backtrack, I am going to do my best to just post recent stuff and stay consistent.

This week I had the opportunity to see some Bengal kittens being born. The breeder where I got my kitty called me to let me know her cat was going into labor. Since my Bengal is supposed to be pregnant, I wanted to watch this process. Her male stud cat (Epitimee) is pictured to the left. Epitimee and Lilith are my Keeta's parents.

I got the call at 5AM! So I threw on some clothes and raced over to Teresa's house. Within minutes her cat, Lilith, delivered one healthy 3 ounce baby boy! Seemed pretty easy. Lilith immediately began cleaning her new baby and being a good mama. Within minutes the baby boy was rooting around for a nipple. Success! Next came the placenta. Now this is kind of gross, but the mama cat actually eats the placenta for it's nutrients plus it helps her bring her milk in.

About half an hour later, a 2nd placenta came out. Uh... this was worrisome! The placenta was not attached to an umbilical cord which indicated that the kitty was possibly stuck in the birth canal and was now being deprived of it's oxygen and nutrients. Teresa made a few calls to her other cat breeder friends and searched the Internet frantically while I kept a watchful eye on Lilith. She had more contractions but nothing was coming out. Research showed that a kitty stuck in the birth canal could only survive for 20 minutes or so. When 30 minutes went by we were really worried. Teresa had the emergency vet on the line when we started to see something coming. What we saw was a foot! Which means the kitty was coming out breach. Luckily Teresa knew what to do in this situation and she tried her hardest to help the kitty out without causing any damage. At this point we were still thinking it was the kitty without a placenta attached so we were very worried that the kitty would not be breathing? Teresa was able to pull the kitty out - and she was breathing! Whew! And she had an umbilical cord which was attached! Her placenta came out shortly after that. Hmmm, interesting.

At this point it was close to 8AM and I had to race back home to get ready for work. So I missed the rest of the births. But wow - what a stressful morning! Teresa called me later and updated me that Lilith had 3 healthy kittens and 4 placentas. So it seems that she must have miscarried one of her kitties. Poor thing! But mama and babies were all doing well. Enjoy the photos!

First Stop - Athens, Greece

2009-11-17T07:08:00.000-08:00

On the trip to Greece, the first stop was Athens. We had already decided that we were going to take the Metro Train from the airport to our hotel. We knew from our research that a cab from the airport would be 25-35 Euros and the Metro train was only 6 Euros. We had mapped this out before hand and it seemed like a simple process. Get off the plane, find the Metro Station, purchase tickets, get tickets validated (we read this was very important as Metro officials randomly check tickets for validation and you could get fined 65 Euro!), get on the train to Syntagma Square (which is where our hotel reservation was) and walk to the hotel. The hotel we had booked was "within walking distance" to the Metro Station as well as the Acropolis. Easy enough, right?

We got off the plane and got right through customs. We exchanged some money into Euros. We inquired at a help desk about the location of the Metro and headed in that direction. We found the ticket booth and purchased our tickets. It was here that we realized just how hard it would be to communicate. After some lengthy discussion/interpretation, the ticket seller said to go downstairs to the train (but neglected to tell us where/how to validate our tickets. Would there be a turnstile to go through that validated tickets? Do we look for a person validating tickets? Is that something they do on the train?) We headed down the stairs with our luggage and soon realized that we had already passed by the validation station. It turned out to be just a simple machine at the top of the stairs that you pass your ticket through to get a date stamp. We would have missed it if we were not specifically looking for it. OK, check. Now… which train to board? There were a few different signs with names on them, and some color coded maps, but nothing was making sense, based on the area map we had been studying. Well, the train was leaving so it was time to just get on a hope for the best! We placed our luggage into some racks and we were lucky enough to find seats. Trust me you want a seat because it is a long ride and very crowded. Standing room only! Even luckier, we met an American (Chicago) who was seated near us. He was in Greece for business and had been a few times before so he could confirm that we were on the right train. Whew! He was also getting of at Syntagma Square so we were able to follow his lead off the train and up the stairs. Oh wow, so crowded! Getting off the train was crazy. Everyone seemed to get off at the same stop, moving, but not going anywhere very fast. Did I mention that we have luggage? Picture three Americans with rolling luggage caught up in a moving crowd, trudging up stairs, and not quite sure where to go. Thankfully our handsome American friend was nice enough to wait for us and lead us out. Once we were out in the sunshine, he said good luck and good-bye. Left alone, we realized we had no idea how to get to the hotel. The hotel directions said “follow the road past Syntagma Square and it will lead you to Dioneias Street”. Wait a minute; we just got dropped of in the middle of a square. Which road? Which direction? We tried to ask several people if they had heard of the Cypria Hotel. No one in the square, no one at the close-by hotels, not even the foreboding policeman knew this place! We rolled our luggage around a couple of blocks sneaking through busy traffic and ducking around all the people, stopping to look at street signs that were not there, and consult our map. It was at this point I felt like we were on The Amazing Race. Exhausted from a 24 hour flight, in a different country with a different language, can’t make heads or tails of the map, and crazy-busy streets and sidewalks! Sigh, so close yet so far. Finally, we just camped on the street corner for a minute to catch our breath and really look around. We noticed some other hotel names and found them on the map, then were able to see that the street names change slightly from map to reality, and we were on our way. Whew!

So, after we checked in to our tiny room (just big enough to fit 4 toddler sized beds) and freshened up a little in our tiny bathroom, we headed down the tiny elevator (it could fit two of us at a time) and out to find some Greek food! By this time we were pretty much starving having not had any food for hours. It was about lunch time so we walked around the neighborhood and found a cute outdoor restaurant where we ordered Gyros and Greek beer. Yamas! That is “cheers” in Greek!

Next on the agenda: the Acropolis. Now some people take a tram to the top of the Acropolis, but not us! No, we walked up the entire cliff to get there! This was partly due to being directionally-challenged, partly due to ignorance. We didn’t intend to walk up the entire way, but that is what ended up happening. Oh well, we got more exercise than we wanted on vacation, but the end result was amazing. We saw the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, the Temple of Olympiad Zeus, Athena Nike, Hadrian’s Arch, and the Temple of Poseidon. Some of the Acropolis was under renovation at the time so we had to look past the scaffolding to see the ancient beauty. But it was amazing to see the centuries old marble columns and statues and wonder at how they built it all without heavy machinery. Being at the top of the Acropolis was also a fantastic view of Athens. Wow. I did not expect it to be such a large city! Tall white buildings, crammed together, as far as the eye could see. You don’t see houses, you don’t see lots, you don’t see vegetation aside from a few parks and/or historical preserved areas. You also don’t see tall skyscrapers, just white buildings that look very similar, all seemingly to be no more than 10 stories tall. This explains the maddening traffic and busy streets below. Population: 10,722,816 (July 2008 EST.) Compare that to Seattle with a population of 598,541 (also 2008 data as researched by Google!) I wish I would have taken a picture of traffic. Greek drivers are crazy. The busy streets are about 8 lanes across. Everyone either drives a VERY small car, or some sort of delivery or passenger van. Regardless of the type of vehicle, everything is made by BMW! There are millions of scooters on the streets as well. Scooters are apparently able to drive in-between the car lanes so they constantly weave in and out of different lanes all racing for pole position at the lights. The sides of streets are lined with hundreds of pedestrians either walking or waiting for busses. The bus stops are surrounded by hoards of people. I’ve only seen this kind of crowd in Seattle – after a Seahawks game and all the fans funnel through the parking lot heading to the train or bus tunnel.

Next stop: Paros!

Greece, baby!

2009-11-07T09:17:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally did it! I went on my first European vacation! Greece has always been at the top of my list of places to go. So when a couple of my girlfriends said they were doing it, I happily jumped on board. They had already booked their flights, so the time frame was set and I was able to book seats on the their flights. Whew, that is one big decision already made!

In the weeks before the trip we had a couple planning meetings to discuss the itinerary and strategize over things we wanted to do and see. Usually a planning sessions involved getting some Greek take-out from a local Seattle spot, or going to a Greek restaurant to get some "atmosphere". One of the restaurants we loved was Taki's Mad Greek in Ballard (15th and 85th). Such a fun place! We went on a Saturday night and so there was dancing, singing and a belly dancer! http://www.takismadgreek.com/ We even met the owner, Kiki, who gave us a lot of good info and lots of (free) wine! Kiki's husband Taki is the main chef there, and one of the entertainers too. It's a real family place!

In the planning sessions we basically decided which islands we wanted to visit, how many days to stay on each, and what means of transportation to use to get there. We had heard from friends and travel books that you didn't necessarily need to book any reservations on the islands. Hotel representatives would actually meet the ferries with brochures to sway you to stay at their places. Being a Professional Organizer this concept was a little hard for me to grasp. Go to Europe and not have reservations... what?! But "winging it" allows you full freedom to choose accommodations on-the-fly and negotiate rates with hotels to get rock bottom deals. So each of us 4 girls decided to pick one destination on the itinerary and research it more on our own. This way, at least one person in the group had an idea of the best areas to stay, what rates were considered "normal" and what kind of amenities we would require. (We did pre-book a hotel in Athens for our first night as we didn't want to get off the plane after 24 hours of travel and not have any idea of where we were going to stay. This proved to be a great idea because Athens is such a large city and soooo busy! It was literally like an episode of the "Amazing Race" trying to get out of the airport and into the city to find our hotel! I'll tell you more about that in a later post….)

It was true! When we would arrive on each island, we would be bombarded by hotel reps waving their brochures in our faces and shouting out their amenities. We asked questions about where they were located, how far from "town", and we negotiated some pretty great rates. Then they would put us into a van a take us to our accommodations. We definitely learned to ask more specific questions as the trip went on, and our accommodations got better and better with each stop! What an amazing trip! Our travel itinerary - and my final costs are below (not including food, drink, shopping, etc.). I will talk about each destination in a later post!

Day 1: Leave Seattle on a 6:15AM flight to NY. Leave NY on a 3:50PM flight to Athens.
Day 2: Arrive Athens at 8:55AM. (Greece is 10 hours ahead of Seattle). $1350 round trip airfare. Take Metro Train to Syntagma Square. 6 Euros ($9). Athens Cypria Hotel. 4 bed hotel room $215 (0r $53.75 each). Visit Acropolis 12 Euros ($18).
Day 3: Ferry to Mykonos. Blue Star Ferries @ 8AM. 21 Euro ($30).
Day 4: Mykonos Town. Studio Eleni. 15 Euro each x 2 nights ($45). http://www.studioeleni.com/
Day 5: Ferry to Paros. GA Ferries @ 10AM. 19 Euro ($25).
Day 6: Naoussa, Paros. Captain Dounas Hotel. 15 Euro each x 2 nights ($45). http://www.dounas.com/
Day 7: Ferry to Santorini. Blue Star Ferries @ 11:55AM. 19 Euro ($25).
Day 8: Fira Town, Santorini. Hotel Golden Star. 25 Euro each x 3 nights ($112). http://www.hotelgoldenstar.gr/
Day 9: Fira Town, Santorini. Car rental 1 day. (Can’t remember how much we paid?)
Day 10: Fly to Athens. Aegean Air @ 12:15) 79 Euro ($106). Athens Cypria Hotel. 4 bed hotel room $215 (0r $53.75 each). Visit NEW Acropolis Museum 1 Euro ($1.50).
Day 11: Cab to Athens airport 35 Euro ($52). Leave Athens on 11AM flight to NY. Leave NY on 5:10PM flight to Seattle. Arrive Seattle at 9PM…. or more likely 11PM due to flight delays getting out of NY!

Flight: $1350.00
Travel Transfers: $250.00
Hotels: $310.00
Total expenses: $1910.00

More about the trip to come! Check back!

An Inspiration

2009-09-10T06:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks since my last post. I started to write this one weeks ago but it turned out harder than I thought. After coming back to it several times, I finally have this to say.....

I get my emails on my blackberry. In January, I got one from a friend in the early morning who's message started with the words "this is the hardest email I've ever had to write". I knew right away it was going to be a tough one to read on my phone. So I logged in to email and steeled myself for the oncoming bad news. My friend was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Shock. Disbelief. Unfair. Worried. Sad. Angry. These are some of the words that described how I felt that morning. Shock... because she spent a lifetime working hard to keep herself fit and healthy. Disbelief... because she is my age and that hits REAL close to home. Unfair... because she has already had to deal with so many negative "life" issues already - and this was to be a year of big HAPPY events (wedding, exotic honeymoon, baby-making, etc.) Worried... about how she would deal with it all (treatment, family, career, finances, etc). Sad and angry... for all of the above! It is a feeling of helplessness when a friend calls you with bad news that you CANNOT fix. All you can hope to do is listen, be supportive and hopefully encouraging.

My friend was amazingly strong from the very beginning. She had done her research and knew her path to beat it. Through it all, she has remained incredibly strong, rational and fiercely independent. It's been over 8 months now and her news is good! She had surgery right away to remove a breast and affected tissues, she has gone through months of chemo and radiation, and she has gotten the "all clear" from her doctors. She recently celebrated her success at kicking cancer by having her friends join her to "Ride The Duck". What a fun way to get a group of friends together, be out in the beautiful weather and really see Seattle in a fresh new light. It was fantastic to see her in a fresh new light as well - not just the new hair do ;-) but smiling, laughing, strong, confident and amazing! She also just participated in the Breast Cancer 3-day. 60 miles of unrelentless stomping cancer to the ground. So proud of her!

I guess this post is my little way of saying thank you to her! Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey. Whether it was a walk around Greenlake, lunch at our favorite sushi spot, or a trip to your hospital - thank you for sharing your honest emotions with me. Thank you for being so open and educating me. Thank you for fighting! You ROCK Sheila!

Friends, I cannot tell you her story as well as she can, nor can I summarize the whole ordeal as she can. She is a writer and I am not. So I encourage you to read her blog (http://stompthis.blogspot.com/) to get the story. In her blog you will hear her story, read notes of encouragement from her friends, and most importantly get educated about breast cancer. She has done a great job of documenting the research, the DR visits, the treatments, the emotional roller coaster, the recovery, and the healthy things YOU can do to ward off cancer in your life. Check it out!

Longest Beach in WA!

2009-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend in Long Beach, WA. It is so aptly named for being the "longest beach" in Washington. It has also been named the "Best Beach in Western Washington" by King 5 TV's Evening Magazine. My friends think so too. We've been going there as a group for years and years! This year we happened to be there on the same weekend as Kite Festival. The sky was littered with kites of all sizes and colors - so pretty! It's really a great place to get away with friends, family, kids and dogs! There is sun, beach, volleyball, bonfire, eating and shopping!

In other years past we've been there for the Sandsations Festival which features a huge sand castle building contest. We actually entered the contest one year on a whim, none of us having any experience in building large sand castles. We found our plot (right next to some "competitive" sand castle builders no less), and started working! We actually won the "Judges Choice Award" for our South Park themed sand sculptures! Can you believe it? It was a surprising yet amazing feeling to have hundreds of people surrounding you as created in the sand (and not just our own heckling friends)... The simultaneous "ooohs" and "aahhhs" as things came together (or fell apart) was something to be remembered! I will have to dig out some old photos so you all can see!

If you are interested in going to Long Beach, check out this website for a calendar of events - and book early!

http://www.funbeach.com/

A kitty update.

2009-08-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

I have had my new kitty for a little over a week now. I think she is feeling pretty comfortable here because she is definitely exploring everything. She is getting into all kinds of trouble too! I guess this is a direct result of me not being home during the day? She obviously sleeps all day thereby storing up bounds of energy for evening! She follows me into every room, trying to trip me or attack my feet. I am not sure she would find it funny any longer if I were to fall on her! She is super interested in anything I eat, watch, read, or talk into. She watches all with great concern. I have a feeling that her ulterior motive is to see how it's used properly - so she can then mess it up for me later when I am not looking. For this very reason I have a new basket on my coffee table (with a lid) that holds all the remotes. I don't really want to spend another couple hours trying to figure out how to get the sound back on the TV!

After some evening playtime, she will finally start to rest around 8PM. This is when she will snuggle up to me on the couch. If I am on the computer, she will curl up behind me (making it impossible for me to lean back). Keep in mind, she is not really a lap cat, but if I am sitting on the couch in any way, she will lay on my feet or right beside me with her head on my leg. Regardless of my position, or her position, she must be touching me in some way. Of course I think "aw, that is so cute". Until about an half hour later and I realize I am now trapped in that position, a prisoner on my own couch! If rigamortis hasn't set in yet, by 11 PM I am ready to head downstairs to brush my teeth and get ready for bed. I try to slide away from the cat as gently as possible so as not to wake her. But she wakes... and it is at this time that Keeta decides it is playtime again?! I foolishly thought this was OK because it seemed she didn't really need to play with me. Most nights she has been hanging out upstairs and playing by herself, or sleeping where ever. The fact that she has NOT been trying to hog my bed is awesome! HOWEVER, last night I was brutally woken up at midnight to a horrible crash. I thought someone had thrown a lawn jockey through my kitchen window! As I ran up the stairs to see what happened, Keeta came scampering down the stairs like a flash! It turns out that Keeta was "playing" on my antique buffet and knocked down all three things: a ceramic planter with plant (broken to bits), an antique framed mirror that I got from an estate sale (shattered to smithereens) and my grandma's china platter which was on a plate stand. In the aftermath of glass shards, dirt and broken ceramic, surprisingly my Grandma's platter didn't even get a chip! (That is one heavy duty piece of Noritake!) I did check the cat for any visible signs of injury and when I didn't see any - I gave her a good scolding! Bad kitty! An hour later, after I swept, vacuumed and mopped the kitchen floor (one nice new gouge in the wood floor) I am back in bed. Keeta is under the bed and keeping her distance. Smart kitty!

Tonight we are going to play things differently. I am not going to let her sleep in the evening. I will keep her awake until 11PM so that she is tired enough to sleep all night!

Uh oh, she is asleep right now under my desk, head on my foot..... Aw, that is so cute....

New Bengal kitty - Keeta

2009-08-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have finally done it! I got a cat. I know I have said in the past that I didn't want a cat. Mostly because they get hair all over the place, claw up your furniture, and there is the dreaded litter box smell! Also, there is the lack of sleep. I've had roommates in the past who had cats, and inevitably their furry friends would end up on MY bed interrupting MY sleep. So I already know what to expect there! Basically, I've always considered myself a dog (big dogs) person so if given the choice of a pet, a dog would be 1st. Unfortunately I live in a condo in Seattle and I've never felt it was right to keep a big dog in the city where there is no yard. City dogs need a LOT of attention. You have to take them out all the time, clean up their stuff and take them to special parks where they can run. You also have to groom them, train them, and keep them from barking. You can't leave them for more than a couple hours so you can't just head out to Happy Hour after work... you have to go home to let the dog out! Ay yi yi, the responsibility! So, based on my work schedule and "active" social lifestyle, I figured a dog wouldn't be the best pet for me at this point in my life.

What made me cave? Well, this cat is different. She is a registered Bengal kitty and they say these are the "dogs" of the cat world. They are independent, don't need a lot of attention, and like to play fetch! Plus, she has the softest (short) hair which doesn't seem to shed much. I met her when I went to the breeders home (Teresa from Traipse Exotics) and hung out with her for an evening. She was cute and cool. She stared into my eyes and I fell in love. I named her Akeeta (after my friend's Akita dog).

Like a good new pet owner (and Professional Organizer), I went to Petco and bought the staple supplies to prepare for her arrival. I made sure to have her litter box, scratching post and food ready for her when she came through the door. You really don't want a new kitty to have to search out the litter box in a new environment! In case you are interested in getting a kitty, here are some things to think about.

Petco receipt:

Tunnel Tower/scratching post $60

Large Hooded Litter Box $30

Plastic Cat carrier $27

Cat Donut (pillow for inside cat carrier) $9

Cardboard cat scratcher $13

Litter scoop $2.50

Misc cat toys $14

Total $170.00! And that didn't even include food or litter. I had to go to Mud Bay to get a special kitten food recommended by her breeder (http://www.royalcanin.us/default.aspx), kitty treats and a really good odor absorbing litter. I still have to get her a brush, collar and license tags too. Not to mention her shots and stuff.

So far, it's all worth it! I like her even more now that she is home and I can see her habits. On the first night she slept on the floor underneath my bed. Hooray! When she eats, she eats gently and carefully. She has not tossed one single spec of cat food out of her dish! I love that! The hooded litter box is a god send as Bengal cats are known to kick their litter around a lot. She has been really good at kicking it towards the back of the box and not out the front hole! So far so good - I think she's a keeper! ;-)

Weekend Camping

2009-08-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a fabulous weekend camping in the San Juan Islands (WA). Friends of mine got married (in Hawaii) and were having a huge wedding reception where they live on Friday Harbor. About 20 of us stayed at their beautiful home by tent camping on their panoramic property. This is my kind of camping! You sleep in a tent BUT have all the amenities of a house nearby for cooking, eating, showering and anything needing electricity! This house was built for entertaining too! A large great room with high ceilings, poured cement floor, wall-to-wall sliding glass doors, which open onto an expansive patio with grill and fire pit. The center of the great room is the amazing kitchen with a 3-sided granite counter top which seated 15 leather high-backed stools. Off to one side of the great room was the living area, complete with 3 leather couches for maximum seating. The other side of the room housed the dining room table which was large enough for a big group to eat... or play cards, dominoes, do puzzles, etc.

Our friends who live there also prepared the yard for our tents by mowing out circles and marking them with cute little camp site markers. There was a little road in between and a golf cart was made handy for us to get back and forth to the house. SO ORGANIZED! The golf cart also served as a babysitter for the kids. They loved driving around on that thing and it kept them entertained for HOURS! Who knew?!

One of the coolest things was the outdoor shower built by my friends husband. It started out as a pallet with a tall wood frame around three sides of it. Then the wood frame was covered in some black tarp and wrapped with bamboo. The pallet floor got tiled with ceramic tile, a shower curtain was hung, and a shelf for shampoo was added. Lastly, a shower head was installed and hooked up to the outside house spigots (hot and cold!) for an amazing outdoor shower! The most amazing thing was that it was built in just a couple hours while the rest of us sat around the fire pit relaxing in our comfy chairs and watching it all happen!

Here was my packing list for camping:

Tarp (for under the tent, or over the tent, you never know when you might need it!)

Tent (duh!)

Tent poles, tent stakes (seriously, don't forget these!)

Hammer (to get the stakes in...)

Air mattress (yes, I am a princess....)

Sleeping bag (or sheets and blankets which is what I prefer...)

Pillow

Ear plugs

Flashlight (for finding your way around at night!)

Camping chair

Warm clothes for nighttime (don't forget socks!)

Cooler

Lots of water

Disposable plates, cups, cutlery

Napkins, toilet paper, garbage bags

Towel, washcloth, toiletries (dryer sheets, bug spray & sunscreen!)

Dominoes, cards, book to read.

Obviously if you don't have a house next to your campsite, this list would be a lot longer. But as it was, I didn't need to bring a lot of other stuff - like firewood, matches, food, cooking pans, etc.

Tips for car camping: Keep tent zipped up to keep bees out (but open the screened air vents for maximum air flow). Wipe dryer sheets on the tent keep the mosquitoes away. Bring quarters for public pay showers. Do not keep your car keys in the car! Find a safe place to stash them outside of the car because sometimes automatic locks can flip and you are locked out of the car. Bring lots of layers as the tent gets COLD at night but HOT in the morning! If you can, park your car on the East side of your tent to shade you from the morning sun. You might get an extra hour of sleep!

Tips for Friday Harbor ferry: If you can, park your car and walk onto the ferry. This could save you hours in the car ferry lines. Overnight parking was around $25-$30 for 72 hours. If you are taking a car across the ferry, pack your patience! On the Anacortes side, plan to get into the ferry line 2 hours before the boat sails. This is a good time to take scenic photos, read a book and use the restroom. Besides getting a coffee and a treat at the one coffee stand, there is not much else to do there. Ferry fares are $51.25 for car and driver. Each additional passenger is another $13.15. The good news is... it's free to come back! From the Friday Harbor side it's a little easier. You still need to arrive at the terminal 2 hours before your sailing time. However, you can park your car in line, and then go explore the quaint town of Friday Harbor. There are lots of shops and restaurants to visit!

Bad week.

2009-07-25T08:33:00.000-07:00

Something is wrong with the Universe this week. I've talked to several friends about this and we all agree.... stars are not in alignment, it's too hot, people are cranky and going crazy? It's been a bad week. This week started off with the headline news of two women in the South Park (Seattle) neighborhood that were attacked in their home by an intruder on Sunday July 19th. Both women were stabbed, one died and one has to live with the memory of this tragedy. While I didn't personally know either woman, they were friends of a friend, so that brings it real close to home. In fact, both were coming to my friends birthday party this week so I would have met them there. Their Evite reply of "Yes: Teresa and I would love to be there!" is a haunting reminder that their plans changed in a tragic and unfair way.

The story has been all over the news this week and it has put fear into us all. (See story at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009511055_webstabfolo21m.html ). It's been hot in Seattle, but we are reminded by news journalists to keep our doors and windows closed and locked. You tend to look at strangers more closely, wondering if they are "good" or "bad". I lay awake at night wondering what I would do if an intruder came to my home. How would I defend myself? What weapon would I use? What would be my escape route? Where would I run to? Or would I be able to defend myself? What if I didn't? What if I just curled up and let whatever happen happen?? These are the hardest questions to answer because you just don't know what you would do in that situation - unless you have been through that situation. You hope and pray that you never have to experience something like that.

I think the worst part for the survivor would be that it was a "random act of violence", with no real explanation, no real motive. How will she re-cover from that unfairness? How will she get over the fear of being brutally attacked in her home while sleeping? How do you feel safe again?? How will she adjust to living a normal life without sad memories constantly flooding her thoughts? How will she learn to accept, forgive and show mercy to the person who stole her best friend and life partner from her? Do you forgive the person who ruined your life?? I don't know if I could. Depending on the circumstance or crime, I wonder to what length could I forgive? Forget?? I know I would want justice for any crime committed against me - but maybe I'd want revenge too? What level of "payback" is appropriate? It's so hard to know how you would react in certain situations. The news last night said they have arrested the suspect so hopefully this will be the start of the healing process for her friends and family? (See story at http://www.fox2now.com/ktvi-seattle-stabbing-stlouis-woman-072309,0,3056246.story).

Coincidentally, I just read "The Shack" by William P. Young for my book club and it really touches on all these internal head/heart questions. The main character suffers a random act of violence and the book touches on his years of emotional suffering because of it. Guilt, sadness, loss of life joys. Then he goes back to the scene of the tragedy and gets an opportunity to talk to God and work through his sadness, bitterness and loss of spirituality. It's an amazing story of relationships, spiritual education and openness (without regard for any one particular religion or sect). In the end he comes to a place of understanding and forgiveness for the perpetrator, which then leads to finding actual closure on the tragedy. After reading this book you can't help but have a new (or re-newed) opinion of spirituality but getting to that point means really questioning yourself. I'll certainly be questioning myself, my thoughts, my actions, my life... more in the future. Hopefully it can help me achieve the never-ending struggle to be a better person?

Later in the week I received more bad news. My Dad was rushed to the VA (Veterans Administration) Hospital emergency room on Thursday. They couldn't do a Cat Scan there because their machine broke (huh?), so he was transferred to Swedish around 2AM. After initial testing, it turns out that he passed a blood clot from his heart to his brain and he suffered a small stroke. This is in the aftermath of last weeks hernia surgery where he was advised to go off his blood thinning medication (Coumadin). Going off the blood thinners probably triggered the clot and hopefully going back onto the medication should prevent future issues. The bleeding in his brain has stopped but his vision is affected. He could read the card I got him but it was very difficult as he is seeing bright flashes of light and spinning (yet blurry) colors in the peripheral. If you know my Dad, he actually likes shiny, trippy color bursts so this could make him very happy?? His favorite color is MYLAR for crying out loud! I am obviously kidding though, because not being able to read, watch TV, or drive would seriously hinder his lifestyle so we are hoping the blurry vision is not permanent. We have to wait and see. Last night he was transferred back to the VA and is expected to be released today. He'll need to come back this week for follow up on his hernia surgery as well as get the MRI and EKG that he was supposed to get at Swedish? Why this was not done yesterday, I am not sure. But he seems to be in good spirits, says he feels fine and has remained surprisingly calm during the whole episode (and if you know my dad, patience and calmness are NOT adjectives that normally describe him!)

Sorry today's post has been kind of morose. It's been one of those weeks. Hopefully it turns around today. I am going to meet some friends for the Ballard Seafood fest so should be a good time!

The Bite of Seattle

2009-07-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to the annual Bite of Seattle at the Seattle Center for the first time in years! While it's traditionally a fun time (bands, beer gardens, FOOD!) I usually can't stand the crowds so I stopped going for a while. But yesterday was one of those great summer days in Seattle and I really wanted to be outside enjoying it. As per usual, parking was difficult (and expensive!) around the Seattle Center. Again, with the bus theme, this is a perfect example of why you should take the bus. We didn't take the bus and it cost us $10 to park and about a half hour of frustration while looking for parking! Once inside the Seattle Center grounds, there were huge lines to get anything - whether it was food booths, beer gardens, bathrooms, or events. The good part is, that everywhere you are, there is lots of music and tons of great people watching. Kids playing in the Fountain. People dancing in the sun. My best tips for the day: pack your patience, wear sunscreen, keep your cash and ID handy, and bring your own water! It was about 80 degrees yesterday which is pretty hot for Seattle. If you haven't experienced it, you should do it! It's free admission. There is one more day of it this weekend! http://www.biteofseattle.com/. Photos courtesy of my friend Pam (Renegade Studios).

More thoughts on Riding the Metro

2009-07-14T11:58:00.000-07:00

So it's been two weeks that I've been without a car and had to utilize the bus system in Seattle. I know I sounded all giddy with excitement before... at the "great opportunity" to learn the bus system around town. I must admit that my attitude has changed a bit now... and riding the bus is more of a frustration most days. Mapping out the bus routes and trying to make connections takes some time and planning. Even though the Metro Trip Planner (http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/) helps make it easier, I have found a few faults. For example, I was sitting next to a young girl and she was asking me about the bus route we were on. She had used the Trip Planner to make her way from Wedgewood/Sand Point to North Seattle Community College. The Trip Planner had actually taken her all the way downtown, then she had to transfer, to get onto the bus we were on. Her total trip time was pushing two hours! It was ridiculous. I told her I was pretty sure she could get the 75 bus from Lake City to NSCC directly. Or take any bus to the Northgate Transfer Station and then hop on the 345 over to NSCC. (Internally I was kind of surprised at myself for sounding like such a seasoned bus rider! She, on the other hand, probably thought I was drunk since I had just come from the dentist where I got a filling and my mouth was still numb. I knew I was slurring, but didn't realize I was also drooling until after she got off the bus. Ooops....) Basically, I learned you can't always trust the Trip Planner. The Trip Planner lets you choose the "fastest" routes, the "least amount of walking" routes, and the "least amount of transfers" routes. Sometimes choosing one or the other gets you a completely different trip. Today, I am heading to the airport for a work trip. I used the Trip Planner and I got completely different routes each time I did it. None of which were very convenient considering 3 transfers, and having to walk & wait around with luggage and a laptop. New tip for riding the bus: If the ride is longer than 1.5 hours and makes you transfer three times.... take a cab instead!

I've also learned that it's not that fun to be on the bus when it's hot. Even with the windows open, you can only get a breeze when the bus is in motion. Last Friday I took the bus downtown to meet some friends for drinks. There was an accident on the Aurora bridge so we sat there for what seemed like forever before all the traffic could be diverted into one lane and get past this wreck. When the bus is not moving, there is no air flow, and that means everyone gets hot, sticky, sweaty. Which is NOT how you want to feel before meeting friends in a trendy Belltown establishment! Don't even get me started on the dude who smelled like manure. I am not trying to be politically correct by saying "manure". If he smelled like poop, I would say poop. But he smelled like manure... cow manure. Trust me, this girl is from Ellensburg, so I know what manure smells like. Put it on a hot bus with no air flow, and now I want to vomit. New tip for riding the bus: bring Kleenex, Purell, and something to fan your self with.

Can I also vent about bus etiquette for a minute? If someone doesn't give you eye contact, they don't want to chat. If that same someone is avoiding eye contact AND highly engrossed in a book, they really don't want to chat. If that same person has to put down her book, look you in the eye and TELL YOU they don't want to chat about your get-rich-quick real estate ideas, then they don't want to chat. And if that same person says NO I AM NOT GIVING YOU MY PHONE NUMBER, that means they don't want to chat with you now, or ever! Geez, what is so hard to understand. Look, I try to be nice and polite as much as possible but it can only last so long when dealing with idiots. Especially if your unwanted conversation starts like this... "So, you are pregnant, right?" (Seriously don't ever ask a woman if she is pregnant if you are not 100% sure.....)!

Update on my car. Still in the shop. Won't be ready until the 27th. Police still haven't found the driver who hit me so don't know if they have insurance or not. This means two more weeks of riding the bus. Neat!

Daily Om - Walking Thru

2009-07-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

The below is from my favorite daily inspirational message that gets emailed to me. This one reminds me of several dear friends who have recently moved away from Seattle to persue other endeavors. While I miss you, I applaud you for taking the chances you have taken! Enjoy!

July 9, 2009

Walking Through

When Doors Open

When a door opens, walk through it. Trust that the door has opened for a reason and you have been guided to it. Sometimes we have a tendency to overanalyze or agonize over the decision, but it is quicker to simply go through the door and discover what's there as that's the only way to know. Even if it doesn't seem right at first, opening this door may lead to another door that will take us where we need to go. Doors open when the time is right for us to enter a new space, metaphorically speaking, and we can have faith that walking through is the right thing to do. Sometimes we linger in the threshold because we are afraid of leaving our old life for a life we know nothing about. We may have voices inside of our heads that try to hold us back or people in our lives saying discouraging things. These voices, internal and external, are known as threshold spirits, and they express all the fears and doubts that arise at the beginning of a new life. Nevertheless, none of these voices can hold us back, and they will fall silent as soon as we cross the threshold. There are many doors that open in the course of our lives, leading us into new relationships, jobs, friendships, and creative inspirations. Our lives up to this point are the result of all the doors we have walked through, and our continued growth depends on our willingness to keep moving into new spaces. Every time we walk through an open door, we create a sense memory that encourages us to move into the new fearlessly. When we enter the new space, we almost always feel a thrill and a new feeling of confidence, in ourselves and in the universe. We have stepped across the threshold into a new life.

Car-less in Seattle

2009-07-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

Since getting my car smashed in by a hit and run driver on Wednesday, I have had a good opportunity to take the Metro Bus around town. I am actually getting to feel like a pro! Seattle has a pretty good bus system so once you figure out the routes, you can get anywhere! It's cheaper than parking - and less frustrating. I don't think I'll ever attempt to drive and park for any sporting event again, now that I know I can get a stress free ride to the front door of any stadium - for $2.00! In case you are thinking of also "going green" and riding the bus, I decided to list some of the tips I've learned for becoming a "seasoned" bus rider in Seattle. Maybe it will help you?

1. Use the King County Metro website "Trip Planner". http://tripplanner.kingcounty.gov/cgi-bin/itin_page.pl?resptype=U. Just plug in your address and your destination and it will tell you which bus(es) to take!

2. Have correct change handy (or buy a bus pass, it saves you money and you don't have to constantly hunt for correct change)! It's $1.50 - $2.00 depending on time of day.

3. Wear comfortable shoes, you have no idea when you might have to "run for it"!

4. Bring a book, this helps to avoid "eye contact" of people who want to sit with you and/or strike up an unwanted conversation. And of course, reading is fundamental... you might learn something?!

5. People will stink... so get used to it. Learn that it is OK to change seats or move away.

6. Buses start and stop... a LOT! So you may find yourself sliding around on the seat a LOT. Until you get your "sea legs" try sitting next to the window as there is a foot rest under the seat that will help you hold your position better.

7. Re-think your accessories. If you are like me and you have a purse, laptop and possibly a gym bag and/or grocery bag... it can start to get a little cumbersome. Combine: Find a good laptop bag with a long, durable shoulder strap that has enough room to hold your wallet and other personal items. Wear this over the shoulder and across the chest for maximum comfort (and safety from would be purse snatchers). I happened to find a great messenger bag at a thrift store - designer label, red and black leather, lined, with great pockets for keeping personal items organized!

I am sure I will think of more tips as the days go by. My car is in the shop and will probably be there for another two weeks! Almost $7,000 in damages on top of that - yikes! Hopefully the police were able to track the driver down (a witness got the license plate) and hopefully he has insurance! I have to get a copy of the incident report to find out - which is another "process" altogether. I am sure I'll blog about that exercise in frustration as soon as I go thru it!

July 4th Weekend

2009-07-05T19:50:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July fell on a Saturday this year so like most, I had Friday off. In order to start the holiday weekend, I decided to have a small-ish July 3rd party. Most of my girlfriends showed up as per usual, but we were seriously lacking in male ratio so it kind of ended up being a "Girl Party". My friend Tina arrived from San Jose late in the evening so had to be subjected to our alcohol induced conversations on men and sex. She was surprised to find that all of us were still single - being the fabulous, professional, emotionally & financially stable women that we are! Tina thinks we have enough material to do our own Sex In The City type show! Sex In Seattle? No Sex in Seattle? How To Get Sex? Hmmmm. Will have to think about that.

On Saturday, we walked around Greenlake to get a little exercise. It was a great day in Seattle. Beautiful weather and lots of people out enjoying it! Later in the afternoon we headed over to my friends place on Lake Union, the Neptune Building. Her building has a great 4th of July party on the rooftop and we knew that would be a great place to view the fireworks show over Lake Union. Plus... the party was only $7 for all the food and drink. An amazing deal any way you look at it! The party was great, highly organized and you know how I love that! There were several outdoor grills with burgers and dogs. There was a station for pulled pork and some other amazing simmering meats. Corn on the cob, pasta salad, cole slaw, fruit and veggies. Yum! There were several kegs with an assortment of beer and a DJ spinning tunes all night. We danced, met some new people, had a great view of the city and an amazing fireworks show!

On Sunday, Tina and I headed over to Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe for breakfast. One of my favorite haunts for weekend grub! As we were eating, I got a text from some other friends who were going to brunch at Campagne in Post Alley of Pike Place Market. We decided to join them for the champagne (hold the brunch, we already ate!) and had a nice time visiting and re-capping our weekend stories. Tina and I then walked thru the Pike Place Market to see what was going on there. I don't really go there except when visitors are in town so it's nice to walk thru every once in a while and feel like part of the tourism. Today was particularly busy! Streets were closed to vehicle traffic and extra booths lined the market. I think I got some good photos of the market and its offerings. Again, a beautiful day in Seattle. Sunny and hot - like summer should be!

One of THOSE days!

2009-07-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have "one of those days" where nothing goes as planned? I am having such a day! First of all I was woken up at 6AM by my doorbell. My neighbor says to me "You need to come see your car". As I dressed I thought about what I would find outside. A broken window? Graffiti? No. It was a smashed in back end. The car was not only bashed in but had moved all the way into another parking spot! Someone had apparently tried to turn around in our parking lot and smashed into my car plus two others. The other two neighbors that were affected gathered around and did the usual thing: took pictures, called the police, and discussed at great length what we thought might have happened. A high speed car chase? A drunk driver? Fortunately for us a dog walker guy came over from across the parking lot. He said he heard the crash and saw the car that hit us. He even had a license plate number for us. Yeah! When the police officer finally showed up, we had some EVIDENCE! The officer took all our info and then was off to locate the suspect car. The last update I heard was that the car (no driver) was located several blocks away. Parked in front of the registered owners apartment! Uh, WTF? Apparently our suspect was even more stupid than we thought. Seems like he drove home and parked? We don't know yet if the driver was the registered owner. Still waiting to hear if the driver was located. Hopefully he has insurance because he is going to need it!

After that excitement, I came to find out that my friend who was going to be flying into Seattle for the weekend, was sick. So under DR's orders, the trip is cancelled. I am bummed as I had some fun plans for us this weekend. It couldn't be helped but it was Bummer #2 for the morning and it was only 7AM!

I spent the morning dealing with insurance and police all the while trying to work. It was an unusually busy day at work so that was unexpected. I had to forge through it as best I could. By about 2PM I was hungry and decided to stop to make some lunch. I decided to cook some corn on the cob and had a large pot boiling on the stove when another of my neighbors stopped by to inquire about the smashed up car. As I was talking to her, a small gust of wind slammed my front door shut, locking me outside without keys, shoes or my phone. Bummer #3! I knew that my upstairs deck door was unlocked so my neighbor helped me locate a ladder and we tried to get to the deck from that. Doing this entailed a barefoot walk across some really HOT blacktop, through the prickly brush and dried grass and over some very small, sharp rockery! Unfortunately my fear of heights kicked in (or maybe my fear of rickety, lightweight ladders!) and I couldn't get up the ladder far enough to haul my butt over the railing. Yikes - what to do! In the end, my other neighbor (who is also the President of the HOA) came to my rescue. He actually had a spare key from the last owner of my condo. So I was able to get in and save my kitchen from imminent cooking disaster!

What a frustrating day. I am ready for it to be over! As a Professional Organizer I am very scheduled. I make to-do lists and I make plans. None of this was on the calendar today! So what did I learn? I am going to have to think about that and get back to you!

Goodbye Billy Mays

2009-06-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

I find it ironic that I used the last drop of OxiClean in this morning's laundry - the same morning I find out that famous pitch-man for OxiClean has died. Billy Mays was the sensational marketing guru for as-seen-on-tv products such as OxiClean, OrangeGlo, KaBoom and the Quick Chop. I must admit I have used AND loved them all - with the exception of the Shammy (ShamWow?) - I never did get that one? If you are like me and LOVE infomercials and gadgets then you know who I am talking about and you know that infomercials will probably never be the same. Rest in Peace, Billy Mays.

Daily Om - Clearing A Space For Change

2009-06-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

The below is from my favorite daily inspirational message that gets emailed to me. This one is great for anyone who is thinking about getting organized: whether with career, home, closet, heart....

Jan 15, 2009
Clearing a Space for Change
The Weight of Objects

In life, we tend to have an easier time acquiring possessions than we do getting rid of them. Just as we harbor emotional baggage that is difficult to let go of, our lives can tend to be filled with material objects that we may feel compelled to hold on to. Most people are not conscious of how much they own and how many of their possessions are no longer adding value to their life. They fiercely hold on to material objects because this makes them feel secure or comfortable. While it’s true that the ownership of “stuff” can make you feel good for awhile, it seldom satisfies the deep inner longings that nearly everyone has for fulfillment and satisfaction. It is only when we are ready to let go of our baggage and be vulnerable that it becomes possible to recognize the emotional hold that our possessions can have on us. It’s not uncommon to hold on to material objects because we are attached to them or fear the empty spaces that will remain if we get rid of them. Giving away the souvenirs from a beloved voyage may feel like we are erasing the memory of that time in our life. We may also worry that our loved ones will feel hurt if we don’t keep the gifts they’ve given us. It’s easy to convince ourselves that unused possessions might come in handy someday or that parting with them will cause you emotional pain. However, when your personal space is filled with objects, there is no room for anything new to enter and stay in your life. Your collection of belongings may “protect” you from the uncertainties of an unknown future while keeping you stuck in the past. Holding on to unnecessary possessions often goes hand in hand with holding on to pain, anger, and resentment, and letting go of your material possessions may help you release emotional baggage. When you make a conscious decision to fill your personal space with only the objects that you need or bring you joy, your energy level will soar. Clearing your personal space can lead to mental clarity and an improved memory. As you learn to have a more practical and temporary relationship to objects, positive changes will happen, and you’ll have space to create the life that you desire.

The Scraprack

2007-08-08T07:49:00.001-07:00