April 25, 2024
Cammy and I had dinner at Citrus tonight. U6 Prawns with Lemon Angel Hair Pasta. Delicious. Sat outside with a view of the ocean. Warm and breezy. Then we saw the musical Get on Your Feet. Gloria and Emilio Estefan. Lovely night.
Four days til seventy three. Oh, my.
April 24,2024
Five days til seventy three. Oh, my. Packing to head back to Michigan. A lunch, a musical and Junior Prom still on my list of things to do. Bella survived boarding at a kennel. They said she was a real sweetheart. The people were lovely. Huge talking bird. I will miss being here in this gorgeous weather with my girls. Floating in the pool. Coffee outside. I love my teens.
3b. What is the last time you put something off that you really would like to do yourself?
Always. I do so much for other people I put off anything I want to do for me. Sometimes I think I use this as an excuse not to chance failure. Remember, I just spent two years as my husband’s sole caregiver. There are no resources to give a caregiver support. American Cancer society, Pan Can, Hospice, etc have pamphlets, online info but no actual help with care. My goal once I get home is to do something I want to do just for me. Take a class. Paint a canvas. Listen to me.
My daughters and families have shown me loving hospitality. I have been with them for 5 months. I am so grateful. I have turned a corner in this grieving process. I feel ready to move forward.
Pictures of my winter!
April 22,2024
Flew back to Florida today. Watched 2009 Sherlock Holmes movie on the plane. It made my trip go by in a minute. Seven days til seventy-three.
I will pick up Bella tomorrow. I miss her so much. She looked so sad when I left her at the kennel. I hope she is ok.
I need to pick a new book for my Pop Sugar challenge. I finished The Many Lives of Mama Love. Very good. I want my next read to be just as good.
3. What makes you happy?
My family is my happiness. Listening to my teen grand kids talk about school and music and their dreams makes me happy. Reading a really good book. Working on a jigsaw puzzle. Simple things, I guess.
#GAWConvention #HiBarbie #ImaBarbieGirl #Grant-a-WishFund
Busy 4 days of Barbie. Quite an experience. OOAK dolls by designers from France, Italy, Mattel and US. Raised over $60,000 with doll auction for Gilda’s Club, Camp Casey, and Team Tessa.
I met so many great people. Fun at the ball, kareoke and social events. I won the table doll!
April 17, 2024
I made it. Two very busy airports. A rainstorm in Detroit. Landed through turbulence. I’m at the convention with my sister. It is quite amazing. Pictures tomorrow.
1. What is your biggest regret and how can your loved ones avoid the same. I have a few regrets. My biggest is not traveling more when I was younger. I want to travel Europe but I have put it off for so long I might not have the energy to do it properly. My advice to my loved ones. DO IT NOW! Don’t put anything off that you really want to do.
OOAK Silkstone Barbie
April 16, 2024
Heading to a Barbie Convention with my sister. Should be fun I am looking forward to it. I have always loved vintage Barbie’s. Is it wrong that the toys I played with as a kid are all vintage?
Thirteen and counting!
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7. What is love?
This is an easy question for me. I think I can answer it with grace. Love is being present for the person you care for. Love is doing things that make life a little easier or more fun for the one you love. It is sharing experiences. It is being close. Love is caring for him in his illness never letting him feel like a burden. (He worried that caring for him during cancer treatment was too hard). Love is children and grandchildren. Babies. Holidays. Trips. Sitting together by a fire, at camp, on the old front porch.
April 15, 2024
FOR YOU WHEN I AM GONE by Steve Leder
I took the next 12 questions from this book.
5. What enabled you to withstand and move on in the face of your greatest challenge?
The greatest challenge I have faced in my life was being told, along with my husband, that he had 4th stage pancreatic cancer. The doctors said he had 3 to 6 months to live. He lived for 2 years. Together we decided to find joy in every day he had left. We both remained positive and enjoyed life. I was surprised by our strength as we supported and loved eachother through even the worst days. The enabling factor was living fully in each day, each moment. My advice to my loved ones is live in the present. One day at a time. Love your people. Tell them how you feel.
