Moving, Part One

Moving was so busy that it requires a two parter blog posting.

I know, there has been some blog silence but for the past week I have been saying good-bye, then travelling west.

A week ago yesterday, which would have been Friday, 9/7, there was a fabulous good-bye/jewelry party for me. Cathy was so nice to host it,

and Angie was our Silpada gal. I love me some jewels.

Isn’t that nice???

There was also delicious cake.

Lot’s of friends showed up, and Laura took the candid shots-well, this one wasn’t that candid.

I took my time posing with all my friends (this was only the beginning)

Me with:

Jules (my good friend and front desk gal!)

 

Kim B (no explanation for Kim)

Ali (was at the county when I started)

Rachael (I went to her wedding)

Kris (my replacement at the county)

The always smiling Mary Pat

Becky, PHN extrodinaire (why do I look so shell shocked-maybe because of the zillions of pictures?)

Lyndsey (spelled her name right)

And a candid with Nancy (best e-mails EVER)

And then they took pictures with each other-

 

That’s Laura P in the middle-somehow I didn’t get a picture with her (this is a great picture!)

Kris and Dawn, another co-worker

And this is Amy B (with Kim), Financial Worker and funniest human on the planet. Made me laugh out loud many times-many many times during the work day.

Cathy, Kris, and Dawn, who will be working together now.

 

 

There were the candid group shots too-

Here’s Tiffini with Dawn-we saw Tiff at Ragnar too

  

Here’s Leah, my cubicle neighbor, on the right with Nancy and me.

 Did I mention presents? Kim and Laura came up with this one!

 

Great picture of Kim and I, especially my crazy eyes! I was actually laughing for about 10 minutes.

Can you read that?

Knitting in meetings

…..because falling asleep

is just rude

Pretty good one.

Nancy thought it was funny too, and tried to pose with the now famous bag, but I think Leah thwarted her with the Silpada catalogue.

I got cards and a book and some maragarita mix (with the booze in it-Thanks Amy-drank it in Montana-but more about that later)

Just a lot of nice things and good wishes.

So, thanks to everyone, I’ll miss you all!

And thanks Laura, for all the great pictures.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Pack a Little, Clean a Little, Pack Pack Pack Pack-Clean Clean Clean Clean……**

OK, so off we go. So sorry about the lack of bloggage. I obviously have been a little busy. And may I say, we are on pace and have achieved all our goals so far. In the past two and a half weeks we have packed up the house, cleaned up the house, and today I start on the final process of cleaning up the yard and starting on the final pack up of clothes. Very exciting.

I have to say I’ll miss the big house, which is pretty dang empty now. Except for the garage, which is packed up with our stuff.

Remember the day when this was packed with stash and sewing machines?

 

One bed left

And one cat on the other bed.

She’s like “the hell???? what happened to my stuff?”

I do have to say, packing up has a way of sending one slightly off the rails

This is me, in the middle of the frenzy, wearing a scrub hat playing with my thimble collection. I found the scrub hat in a drawer somewhere and thought I’d put it on. Sadly, I continued to wear it most of the day. I realize I have that look that makes people take a wide berth when passing on the street.

However, I’m not as crazy as this

I can’t even explain it.

Trixie was Freaked Out,

but yet strangely fascinated. She’s like “the hell??? these people are crazy, and where’s my stuff?”

The dogs have realized that something might be happening which causes them to never be more than 2.57 feet away from me at all times. Makes packing/rearranging just that much more fun.

On the upside, I did pull myself together enough to have lunch with my coworkers-one of which you should recognize….

That would be Laura, Mary K, and myself at the new Nupa’s. Which used to be Hershfield’s, or something like that.

And if I were a native Rochesterarian (is that a word?) I’d know because that’s how I’d give directions-“Go to Nupa, not the old Nupa that is by the old McDonalds which used to be Hardees but is now a new Walgreens-you know-but don’t go there, go to the new Nupa which is by HyVee, but HyVee south, not north or Barlow, and it used to be Hershfields but it’s not, and it’s right by the Cap and Cork, which used to be the phone place but now is a liquor store. You know the spot.

Whereas I like to say, on Hiway 14, by HyVee south. Just past Broadway (or just before-depending on your direction). I am hoping street addresses are still popular back in the Northwest….

Anyway, we did have a nice lunch, delicious-and the guy just behind Laura was the county manager. So apparently Nupa is Olmsted County approved.

So that’s it, next blog will be from the road I hope. I think I can do it. Although it might be from Tacoma-maybe a brief note from Gramma’s when we get there.

In the meantime-Yeltsie wouldn’t even pose-she’s all “the hell? I’m sick of you people and where’s my stuff?

See ya in Seattle!

**Sometimes I have to wonder if anyone gets the references in the titles. For those who aren’t up on their epic musicals (and if life could be a musical I’d be in heaven) this would be a little take off on The Music Man-Pick a Little, Talk a Little.

Thank you and Safe Travels.

Reader’s Digest Condensed Version

OK, I do have news. But most people know it by now.

I have a new job in Federal Way, working for a Medicare advantage company. I think, I really think, I might actually get to think at this job. I’ll be leaving in about 3 weeks. Moving back to home. So I have a lot to do. Way too much for the weeks I have.

But here’s a short version of what’s been happening-

I raced probably my last Western Days Stampede, where the weather was fab and I placed 1 out of 2 in my age division. It was a great run.

 

Start…..

Finish. I ran with this guy almost the whole way. He kept me going at a fine pace. And he never complained about my heavy feet and loud breathing.

I worked my last Saturday at Pine Needles, where Marcia scared the crap out of me by putting this naked person in the middle of the bathroom floor, so when you walked into the dark room, well, you get the picture. Gosh she was proud. Here she is, wrestling said naked person back into the shower-where she belongs

This past weekend, though, instead of getting ready to leave, I ran Ragnar for the Divas, third year in a row.

Starting in Winona-Van one!

I thought this was a bit funny. Those Ragnarians, they can be hilarious.

Lunch after leg one!

Resting in Stockholm, WI

Free Bloodies after we finished

And, our team at the end. I have more pictures but I don’t have more time. I’ve got to go pack-

Oh, but Laura showed up last week with a new hair.

I should say she showed up with about a foot less hair. So I took this picture but thought it looked a bit like muggish-so, we did it up right-

Touché Randy Travis, Lindsay Lohen, Nick Nolte-your mugs got nothin’ on this!

Oh, I’ve got news

But, not quite yet.

Till then-

Just a hint of what I’ve been working on-

Look at this-the neighbors….but yet…

A bouncy house in the neighbors yard? Meh-McKayla is not impressed-

Yep-look here

Film at 11

Productive, and then, not so much

I was tired this week. Post Vacation Stress Disorder. Look it up, it’s in the book.

Anyway, I did manage to finish this quilt top, which is so very cute.

It’s bugs. Now that I’ve made it once, realized it’s sort of directional, and figured out the errata in the pattern, I think I will make it again.

Otherwise, it’s been a regular week. Went to work, went to the gym, came home, watched a crap-ton of Olympics. Angie and I were at a client’s house and they had men’s beach volley ball on. Can you say distracted? And it was on an Olympic sized TV--very life sized, up close, and personal.

I wanted to show a very rare picture of the cats on the table. Because this just doesn’t happen more than once a day a lifetime.

Bastards.

See how they mock me?

Lastly, I stole a picture from Laura who, besides being fabulous in front of the camera, is also not bad behind one.

This is entitled “Fly”

See what I mean?