Tag Archives: Family

Nov10

Last One For A While

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Last One For A While

This is my last post from Washington until the spring. On Monday I leave for Mexico for the winter. The fall has been beautiful here and I’ve managed to avoid snow although the temperature has dropped considerably.

The time has flown by quickly. And this last week even more so. It’s a time of saying goodbye to friends. It’s a time to say “See you in May.” It’s a time to bid farewell to the brilliant colors of the leaves on the trees and the majestic mountain views. It’s a time for numerous “lasts” of the season.

Linda and I did our last Netflix binge. This time it was The Lincoln Lawyer. Virgin River will have to wait until I return in the spring.

I went to my last writers’ group meeting on Wednesday and enjoyed one last lunch at the Senior Center with them after. This is the best writers’ group I’ve ever belonged to. We all come from different places and have had a variety of life experiences which provides a great deal of inspiration when it comes to writing.

On Thursday I went to my last book club meeting. This is my first year with the group although it has been in existence for several years. A delightful group of ladies combined with the ambience of the Wenatchee Golf Club make our monthly luncheon get-togethers most enjoyable.

On Friday I went out for lunch with Soul Sisters and friends from church. I was totally overwhelmed by the large turnout who came to bid me farewell. Although I’ve only attended Breath of Life for just over a month, I treasure the friendships I’ve made and intend to stay in touch until I return to East Wenatchee in the spring.

On Friday afternoon I started packing and then went over to my brother’s for one last dinner before I leave. Back in 2016 I had no idea that his invitation to visit would result in my becoming a snowbird to Washington State for so many years.

On Saturday Joyce and I went to one last movie at Gateway. We lingered over coffee afterwards where the conversation ranged from musings on the recent election to religion and everything in between. I will miss these interesting discussions. They’re so much better in person than over a phone call.

Today is Sunday and I started the day at church. There were a lot of hugs and farewells and then I was off to one last lunch at Peking with Clairesse and Linda. I just got home and decided to get this blog post up before I finish packing. Then it will be one last dinner with Christina before I fly out tomorrow.

Watch for my first post from Mexico later in the month.

Sep24

Desperate Housewives

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Desperate Housewives

When I come up to Washington each spring, one of my favorite pastimes is watching TV in English. In Mexico I make a point of watching in Spanish. I also find myself binge watching certain series with my friend Linda. Seeing as there has been no Virgin River or Lincoln Lawyer this year, we’ve watched Eric and My So Called Life.

I’m also watching one series on my own. Desperate Housewives brings back a lot of memories when on Sunday nights my kids and I used to watch it together. Once I moved to Mexico I never did catch up on the remaining seasons so I decided to do that now.

I’m in Season 7 now. This morning’s episode was when Gabrielle confronted her past. At first she fought the therapy sessions. But then she realized that the only way to move on with her life was to deal with the demons in her past. The big one was sexual abuse by her stepfather.

And that brought me back to my counseling days. One of the first people I ever counseled was a young woman dealing with sexual abuse. It took her years to finally be brave enough to come forward and admit the abuse. And as a counselor, I’m certain that I was only the first of professionals to come who would help her along the journey to healing.

In the very first counseling class I ever took, our instructor gave us a rather interesting first assignment. We were told to find a therapist; the idea being that if we had never been on the client side of that desk then we would never succeed on the counselor side. By a show of hands, I also recall that in that classroom of more than twenty students, only three of us admitted that we had previously been in therapy. Also noteworthy is that the following week, the class had greatly diminished in size. While there were more than three students, there were far fewer than twenty.

Back to Desperate Housewives and Gabrielle. This episode got me thinking of my own past. No. I never experienced sexual abuse. But I have sat on the client side of that desk and I know how difficult it is to look back at your childhood and realize that it was far from idyllic. Truthfully, the presence of both a mother and a father in the home does not necessarily make a family functional; indeed it can be quite the opposite.

I may be retired but I can still offer advice. Be open to suggestions. Embrace change. Take risks. We only get one crazy ride on the roller coaster of life.

Aug11

Already August

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Already August

It’s been a very different summer. I’ve been to Canada twice; once for 2 months and once for 2 days. Mindfulness is my mantra, especially last weekend when I was with my six-year-old granddaughter.

I spent two magical days in West Kelowna last weekend. I played board games and read books with Madeline. She showed me her treasures from her Sparks trades. We watched a movie together. I watched her swim and jump into the water off platforms at the beach. She delighted in taking tons of pics with my phone. And I miss her constant chatter, her hugs and smiles and am sad that I only get to see her once a year.

This weekend is much quieter. I’m back in East Wenatchee. I’ve been writing and working on my WIP. Today we went to a movie and out for coffee after. And now I’m back to writing again. Tomorrow night I’m looking forward to a concert by Gladsong. Then the weekend will end and Monday will be here, beginning another week.

The only constant this summer has been the hot weather. But it’s cooling off. The high today was only 94.

At this point in the summer I’m usually thinking about flights to Mexico. But not this year. Because I spent so much time in Canada, I’ll be here in Washington when the leaves turn all their glorious fall colors. And that’s something I haven’t seen since before Covid.

As I sit here looking out my window at the hills, I reflect on how blessed I am to lead the life I do, both here and in Aguascalientes. I have friends who have become family, opening their hearts and their homes to me. Times spent with these people are the true treasures in my life.

Collect moments not things.

Jun29

Seventeen Hours

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Seventeen Hours

That’s how long it took me to get from Winnipeg to East Wenatchee last week. Commute to Winnipeg airport, go through TSA, go through Customs, flight to Minneapolis, layover, flight to Seattle, shuttle to Wenatchee, commute to East Wenatchee. Needless to say I slept almost twenty-four hours once I arrived back home.

It’s great to be back. I’ve missed my friends. I’ve missed the mountains. I’ve missed the sunshine.

What I don’t miss is barricading myself in a tiny room and staring at a computer screen as I scanned thousands of photos. I used to jokingly tell my friends that all I left behind in Winnipeg was my son and bins of photo albums. I can now honestly say that all I’ve left behind is my son. The photos are all digitalized. My childhood photos I gave to my brother. The rest of the photos and framed photos are history.

This was a tedious task and it was also emotionally draining. It took twice as long as I thought it would. I’m glad it’s done. Why didn’t we have cellphones with cameras decades ago? This generation has it easy.

I’ll miss my friends in Winnipeg, St. Norbert and Oak Bluff. We had some great times together while I was visiting. We enjoyed stimulating conversations, shared meals, watched movies and did some traveling. I’ll miss you Donna, Loris, Rita, Doug, Audrey, Sheila, Laura, Jacque, Marilyn, Kathy and David. I also enjoyed spending time with my brother.

The moments I treasure most are those with my son, Kyle. I was truly blessed to be with him both on Mother’s Day and on my birthday in May. That hasn’t happened in several years. He also took the time out of his busy schedule to set up a meeting with his attorney so that I could deal with some legal issues. I’m so very proud of Kyle and all of his accomplishments throughout the years. He has come a long way from the photos I scanned of him as a baby and as a child. But it gets harder and harder to say goodbye when it’s time for me to leave again. It’s painful when a mother and her child are separated for such long periods of time.

And now it’s back to life in Washington. Tomorrow I will be volunteering at Founders Day in Cashmere.

Enjoy the weekend!

Mar30

Last Post From Aguascalientes

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Last Post From Aguascalientes

The winter flew by fast. But my six months is up. I’m taking a break from packing. It’s easier packing to leave than to come here. Everything goes and nothing is left behind. But it’s still not a task I enjoy. I do love my packing cubes, so that definitely helps.

It’s been a week of goodbyes with friends—one last torta, one last desayuno, one last hamburguesa, one last cerveza together until October. That’s the hard part about leaving.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. Last year I went to Sage Hills in Wenatchee. This year I’ll be at one of the Catholic churches nearby. I wonder where I’ll be for Easter next year.

I will miss my lackadaisical days of writing when I feel like it. My life is a lot more structured up north. My April calendar is already filling up and I’m not even back yet. But I must admit I’m looking forward to my hair appointment at Shears. Every year I try out different stylists in Mexico but they can never quite seem to get it right.

I spoke to my daughter yesterday. I can’t believe my baby turned forty. Wasn’t it just yesterday I gave birth to her? Okay, I’ve embarrassed her enough if she’s reading this.

My journey home begins tomorrow at midnight when I take ETN to Puerto Vallarta. I opted for only one day there on the way back. Semana Santa is pretty crazy there. On Tuesday it’s Alaska to Wenatchee via Sea-Tac. And I refuse to check the weather forecast because I know it won’t be in the eighties and sunny.

To all who celebrate, have a blessed Easter. He is risen!

Jan13

My Day Friday

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My Day Friday

I was born on a Friday and maybe that’s why Friday has always been my favorite day of the week. Even Friday the 13ths don’t get to me anymore.

But yesterday was not a typical Friday. It was far more exciting than the usual Friday.

Grandson number five was born in Culiacan yesterday! Mateo arrived in the morning and at night he was on his way home with his mom and dad to his four brothers. That is way too fast for me. I recall the one week hospital stays I had back in the 80s when my kids came along. It was nice to be pampered for a few days.

Yesterday Joanne took me to her hairdresser in Bosques. Betty isn’t Lisa and the salon isn’t Shears, but I am happy with what was done. It was three hours well spent and well worth the drive. And Joanne had her hair done too so we had a great visit as well. Bonus: The price was about a third of what it is in the USA too.

As it had finally warmed up yesterday, I was able to go for a longer walk when I got home. Inspiration hit and I got some writing done too, not just editing.

That was my day, Friday.

Dec28

Adios 2023 Bienvenido 2024

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Adios 2023 Bienvenido 2024

This will be my last post for 2023. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my last post for 2022. The older I get the faster the time flies by.

Highlight of the year was spending a magical weekend with my kids and my granddaughter in Brandon when I was in Canada last summer. I hadn’t been together with both of my kids together in eight years, and who knows when we’ll do it again. One of the dangers of my nomadic lifestyle is that I spend the year in two different countries where neither of my kids live.

It’s been a cold December here in Aguascalientes, very different from past years. Last night it went down to 34 Fahrenheit that translates to about 1 Celsius. We’ve also had a lot of rain which is very unusual. And they have the nerve to call it global warming!

Christmas Eve I found myself in church with my friend Gloria and her daughter Romina. Afterwards we had dinner with Gloria’s family. Then on Christmas Day we vegged and watched movies. I also had a video call from my granddaughter Madeline in Canada.

I still haven’t made it to El Centro to see the lights yet. But I plan to do that with a friend on Friday night. But I will have to bundle up. The high will only be 64 tomorrow and once it’s dark out the temperature will plummet. Last year I didn’t even need a sweater at this time of year. Now I layer and wish I’d brought my Columbia ski jacket with me this winter.

I’d like to wish all my readers out there a HAPPY and a HEALTHY 2024. And let’s all pray for WORLD PEACE.

Dec16

A Facebook Memory

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A Facebook Memory

I always glance at my Facebook memories every day. I find it interesting to see where I’ve traveled as well as the people I’ve met along the way. The memory that surfaced today is a bittersweet one. I had moved back to Winnipeg and both my kids were living there. I made an early Christmas dinner in 2009 as a friend and I were spending Christmas in Cuba that year.

I made a turkey and all my kids’ favorite dishes and desserts. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would be the last time we’d be together for a Christmas dinner. But it was. The following year I moved to Mexico and I haven’t been back to Winnipeg since during the winter. While my son is still in Winnipeg, my daughter lives in Kelowna. And here I am in Mexico again for another Christmas.

I actually did spend Christmas in Wenatchee in 2020. I got an extended stay in the USA that year because of Covid. Otherwise I’ve been in Mexico for Christmas since 2010. And I’ve celebrated Christmas in a number of different places including Culiacan, Guadalajara, Mazatlan, Tototlan, Lake Chapala, San Ciro de Acosta and Aguascalientes. And I wonder where I’ll be next year.

Maybe when I go back to Canada in the summer I should have a Christmas dinner with my kids one year. That will take some planning seeing as my kids don’t live anywhere near each other. But it’s a thought.

Thanks for the memories, Facebook!

Nov29

Whirlwind Weekend

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Whirlwind Weekend

I had an amazing weekend with my family in Culiacan. It’s almost a year since I last saw them and I’m determined to see them one more time this winter before I head back to Washington. I hadn’t realized just how large a country Mexico is until I started doing some serious traveling. And Aguascalientes is twelve hours away from Culiacan.

The whole family picked me up at the bus station Saturday morning bright and early. We were all excited to see each other and I marveled at how much the kids had grown since I last saw them. How can they possibly have grown so big? Juan Carlos is 14, Jose Agustin is 11, Angel is 9 and Christien is 4.

We drove out to La Limita Restaurante for breakfast. The food was wonderful and we had a fabulous time visiting and catching up. And of course this abuelita was overwhelmed by all her nietos vying for her attention. Life doesn’t get any better than this.

After breakfast we went to the mall for a while. After a short break at home we were off to a park to watch Juan play basketball. We came home for dinner and this was followed by a most interesting game of Super Mario Monopoly (in Spanish). Most unusual rules in this game and I’m not quite sure that I even now understand them.

On Sunday we went to the mass at church and one of my grandsons did a reading. We came home for lunch and then we were off to another basketball game. This was held at Universidad Autonoma De Sinaloa and was an all-star game. This was the most exciting basketball game I’ve ever seen in my life and the tie-breaker came with a sensational shot with a mere three seconds left in the game.

After the game we came home for a very late dinner. Then the boys were off to bed early as they leave for school at 6:30 am. Classes start at 7. This abuelita was still asleep and didn’t hear them leave the next morning.

We did spend time together when they came home from school. After dinner Juan took me back to the bus station on his way to another basketball game. Somehow it was Monday night and I was heading back to Aguascalientes.

Lucila is pregnant and I’m expecting grandson number five in January. I predict another whirlwind weekend in Culiacan in a couple of months.

Nov5

Read Listen Watch

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Read Listen Watch

It’s been an interesting week. The war is raging on in the Middle East and there’s lots of coverage in American politics, especially when it comes to Trump. Needless to say I’ve been reading, viewing videos and listening to podcasts.

Yesterday I took a break from all this and went on to YouTube to get my mind off all the craziness in our world. I found a delightful movie that brought back treasured childhood memories.

The movie was Heidi. It was the original film produced in 1937. It was also in black and white and starred Shirley Temple.

For a magical 90 minutes I was transported back in time. Back when children were children. When a snow globe was more fascinating than a videogame. When girls treasured porcelain dolls instead of hyped Barbies.

I admit that I do prefer jeans to dresses but I do remember a time when my mom and I would go downtown on a Saturday and dresses were obligatory. And I remember wearing dresses to school. But Heidi looked so adorable in all those cute little dresses!

It was heartwarming to see the relationship Heidi had with her grandfather and how he was completely transformed by her mere presence. I would have loved to have attended that church with them too.

And now back to reality. Adriana and I went out for a delicious lunch today. And yes it was birria. But I think I need a long walk now followed by some time with Duolingo.

Enjoy your Sunday!