Monday, July 20, 2015

50%

Oy.
Last week.
I tell ya.
Those antibiotics just kicked my butt.
Two different types, both causing nausea, both messing with me.

I did go to work everyday.
I did take naps during the day a few times.
(My bosses know.)



But man.
I was operating at about 50% capacity at best on some days.

Summer 2015 ... please be kinder to me in the coming weeks. I waited all year for you.

That said, here are my fav images from the past 7 days:








































Salad on Wendell's patio with Rose.
Love summer nights.




































































We had our first of four staff summer 'themed' lunches this week. Twas mexican. With a piƱata.
So much laughter:









































































































































































































































































































































Thankful for friends who don't mind picking me up from work. I had taken my truck in for servicing and needed a ride at 5 to go get it.


Maxine picked me up in her work vehicle.







































































Just two chicks on a bus, joyriding.


When Drew was little, he was fascinated with school buses. They were his all time favorite vehicle. His fantasy/dream was to visit the school bus parking lot. Heaven to 6 yr old Drewbs.

Thought of him as Maxine backed her bus into the row of sleeping buses...































Love watching my friends do their thing with excellence. She backed that bus in like a pro. So proud.






I was planning to take her out for dinner. Twas her birthday recently, n all... but she had a craving from something she could throw together in her own kitchen.

Who am I to argue?
Haha.

Her family wasn't expecting her, so they'd gone ahead and made their own meals.

So while she was taking an inventory of all possible food combinations, I wandered around her garden...















































































































































Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Maxine was slicing and dicing fresh ingredients (mostly from her garden) to make a mango salsa, a salad with homemade dressing and grilled white fish with a crumbly coating. She easily used 75 different things, along with half a dozen tools to make this colorful, flavorful meal.

























































(Before y'all start rejoicing 'bout that beer. It's not mine.)

We ended the evening with gelato (me, not her,) and watched the sun set at Crescent Beach.










































































































One evening this week, (Cheap Tuesday, I think), Kim and I saw Amy, the documentary about the life of Amy Winehouse. It stirred alot of feels, and I may have cried in the theatre. Addiction is a terrible decease.








































Spent a bit of time with my Max on Wed night. Oh. My. Goodness. All those tears that I refused to let escape while in the hospital both times? Came out in a rush while chatting with him about life. SO embarrassing. Haven't seen the kid in seven weeks and THIS is they type of mom he has to deal with? I probs scared him away til Christmas.

So. Many. Emotions these past three weeks. Eventually they were going to spill. So didn't need a son witness all that.

Sigh.

ANYWAY.

Friday was the last day with my hip boss. He gave me my last annual employee review before he left. Truly, I say unto you, it's weird having someone as young as your son prepare a report card for you.  It was a little different this year, in that the employees were to fill out the forms first, recording their thoughts on their performance in 5 key areas over the past 12 months. (The areas were: Excellence, Service, Teamwork, Conflict Resolution, Stewardship.) I may have had some morphine and codeine in my system when I filled my report out. Words. I used many many words. And just kept typing away.

Haha. When we sat down together to talk about it, he commented that he agreed with me on all points. And noted that I was very 'self aware',

His additions contained the following, and then he expanded with examples. So very thorough.

"Jane works quickly and has a high ethical standard." 
"Jane brings an unusually high level of customer service orientation to this role..." 

"Jane is gifted at asking clarifying questions."
"Jane's greatest strength is setting up people for success and making room for their success to grow."
"Jane embodies the spirit of teamwork." 
"I am appreciative of Jane's ability to navigate conflict.

"Jane is great at communication and has a wide portfolio of skills she can be proud of."


All that to say, I'm going to miss him.







































On Saturday, Maureen and I headed south. The slow way.

I'd seen, on Facebook, just minutes before we were planning on leaving, that there was a 23 car pile up on the I-5 and authorities were asking folks to stay away while they sorted it out.

So we took a new-to-us scenic route, down the WA-9, with her navigating the way with an old-fashioned paper map in her lap.

Was beautiful. But slow.



































































Our destination was Marymoor Park in Redmond to see Need For Breathe in concert.

The first band was Colony House, which has two of Stephen Curtis Chapman's sons in it.

This happened in front of me during the early opening acts:



















































































































































































When I positioned my lawn chair to have a perfect unobstructed view of the stage between their two chairs, I never imagined they'd kiss non-stop for 30 minutes.



The second band was Drew Holcomb and his voice, in the opening number, totally had me hooked. But I became a real fan when he sang a song with the line, "You are a novel in a sea of magazines."

I'll get around to adding youtube links later on Monday. Give em a listen. Really good. In my humble opinion.

Next band up was Switchfoot, who sang all our favorite songs, so I have no complaints.
























































And then?
The reason we drove 4 hours:
Need to Breathe.

SO, SO good.
Loved every single song in their set. And wished they'd played another half hour.
Great entertainers. Amazing musicians. Good music. Wonderful lyrics.




























He is an enthusiastic vocalist:
















































































I was asked to leave the mosh pit at this point.
Apparently my camera looked 'professional' and only smart phone cameras were allowed.































So I went back to my lawn chair and sang along from a distance.




























































































































And then we drove home.
Stopping at McDonald's for a late supper on our way.



Three things I'm thankful for:

1. People who make music.
2. Friends who like to talk.
3. Sons who hug their crying moms.

Shalom,
xo

2 comments:

My Thots said...

If you were going to cry in front of a son, I would guess Max to be the best choice out of the 3. Love & admire that kid (man)
Thank you for sharing your experiences through pix. I like that Bear Rinehard's guitar has CHARLESTON STRONG on it! Would have been a great concert, aside from the kissers. ;)

Jane said...

Actually, all three of them are pretty good at hugging and patting my back when I come undone. They're tough til I fall apart, then they all have stepped up.

And the concert was amazing. Listening to NTB's latest live album all day at work. Great lyrics. Bouncy beat.