My Library of Life in the Queen City

Well, time is ticking by and we have just about a week and  a half till we are on our way to Singapore. The movers come next week and this week has been filled with going through everything in the house and deciding where it goes.  (Singapore, uptown condo, trash or donate/give)  Word of advice to everyone, do not accumulate!  One day it will be your turn.  My new rule of thumb;  if you don't have a purpose for it currently, you don't need it.  (refer back to my post on stuff)

We also had our international immunizations this week.  Now that the hubby is feeling better he was cleared to get the shots. (ones that he probably needed a while ago)  Luckily, little E only had one to get.  They give a lot more shots now with childhood immunizations than they did when we were kids.  I had 2 and the hubby had 3 shots.  We are also taking Typhoid pills over the next week and the hubby has Malaria pills ready to take when he travels to India.  I didn't think the immunizations would be a big deal, but let me tell you, the day after I felt like a train hit me!  I dosed up on Tylenol and within 24 hours I felt better.  Thank God, for I still had a lot to do!

Not only has my week been filled with immunizations, sorting, purging, and packing up, I have been busy with gathering documentation and paperwork.  I have gotten the medical records for both the hubby and E.  Me on the other hand, I decided that I will have to use my own mind as my medical record.  Being in the healthcare industry, I should know how this all works, but to my demise I never really realized how proprietary everyone's data is.  Honestly, it is my data, but I guess they own it since they collected it.  I thought that the EMR (electronic medical record) would change that, but from what I understand it doesn't.  What I didn't know, was that each healthcare provider must release their own medical records.  That doesn't seem like a big deal till you realize how many doctors you have seen over the past 22 years in a city.  I couldn't possibly get records from everyone I have seen.

Speaking of 22 years, that is how long I have been here in the Queen City.  Amazing isn't it.  Am I really that old?  It doesn't seem that long ago that I left college and the small town I had lived in all of my life and pulled up in front of my new apartment with a small UHaul containing everything I own.  I had no furniture except a bed.  I was 21, young, naive, and wide eyed with a huge world in front of me.  That first summer I met some great people, some of which I still keep up with.  I love friends and I like to collect them like favorite books on a bookshelf.  I like to go back to them and read them every now and to reconnect.  And, when I have lost one of my favorites I am sad and long for that book so that I can feel it's comfort and enjoy it's company.  

22 years of a life well lived in a great city!  

This past week E and I visited a pottery painting studio.  We each painted something to take with us on our Singapore adventure.  And we surprised Daddy with a cool mug that E painted.  I made my own mug to commemorate my years spent here.  Now every time I drink out of it I will be reminded of the place I became an adult; where I learned to be a nurse, a banker, an IT specialist, a gardener, a scrapbooker, a cook, a handyman, a pet owner, a homeowner, a girlfriend, a wife, and a mother.  And became the adult I am today.

Life is a sum of all your choices. ~ Albert Camus

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth.  ~ Robert Southey

A Blue Perspective

I looked up at her, not sure I understood anything that she was saying.  She said it with such conviction and intensity.  She was obviously moved by the words that she spoke to me.  I can usually tell what she is saying (most of the time).  We have spent so many years together that I don't remember life with out her in it.  


I could see the car was packed with everything and they were all ready to go, even the little one.  I went to the car door to take my place, but she didn't open it.  She just looked at me with tears in her eyes.  Why was she so upset?  I have seen her this way before many times, but she would always feel better and that smile would come back to her familiar face.  The one I know so well; the one that that looks at me like I am the best thing that happened to her.  I move to the other car door and it was closed too.  I see the little one in her seat through the window waving and saying something to me.  Her lips were moving, but I couldn't hear the sounds.  She doesn't seem to be upset.   


I turn from the window and look up at her.  She looks at me, gets down on her knees and holds my head with her hands, tears streaming down her face making that stuff around her eyes drip black down her cheeks.  Then I heard those familiar comforting words that she often says, "I love you Blue".  Then she said something else that I didn't understand and got in the car, closing the door.  
Wasn't I supposed to be in there?  
Wasn't that where she wanted me to be?


I watched the car drive away down the street.  As I watched her leave, I felt a hand on my head pet me.  I looked up and saw the old man smile and say "Come on Blue, let's go for a walk."  


My favorite words!

He never makes it his business to inquire whether you are in the right or wrong, never bothers as to whether you are going up or down life's ladder, never asks whether you are rich or poor, silly or wise, sinner or saint. You are his pal. That is enough for him.

Jerome K. Jerome

Roots

Hanging out in PA this weekend with my family has been great! When I'm here lots of memories come flooding back. Being the fact that we cleaned out some of my parent's house and having a 2 day yard sale seems to bring on even more memories. We came across so many things: 45 records that we listened to as kids, pans that my Grandma used to can with, and my first baseball mitt that all of my sisters and I used (we all signed it too!) As we sold, friends stopped by too! Some I hadn't seen in quite some time.

While sitting in church last evening waiting for mass to start my day reminded me that my friendships and The paths my life has taken reminded me of roots. Each path we take leads us to new experiences and new friends in our lives that ground us and and make us who we are. It all made me smile and realize that I was about to sprout a new root and branch out.

As I sat, I read the gospel reading of the day and I got chills. It was all about seeds growing roots! The gospel reading was the parable of the farmer who dropped seeds on the path. A bird picked up the seeds up and dropped them on rocky ground, within thorns and on fertile soil. On the rocky ground the seeds flourished and then quickly died when the sun became hot. The seeds in the thorns tried and tried to grow, but were constantly choked out by the invasive thorns. And the seeds on the fertile soil? Of course they grew and prospered. The seeds bore much fruit and established itself. Life is just like growing seeds!

It is so important for us to create fertile soil. With fertile soil as the foundation of our lives we have the best opportunities to grow, learn and branch out to places we never thought we would grow. Personally, having God in my life is my fertilizer. He feeds me and provides me with the things I need to make me grow strong, so that I can handle whatever life throws my way!

So, is your soil on rocky ground, within the thorns or where the seed can grow and prosper?

Matthew 13:1-23
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field." (Matthew 13:24 CPDV)

Diagnosis, Home Sale, Moving Date, Blue - Whew that's enough!

Well, I know you all have been wondering how the Willis family is doing these days.  Much better!  Although, it has been a long couple of weeks we are moving right along and I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!


So, the diagnosis!
After much testing, the doctors have diagnosed the hubby with Mono.  No, he didn't have the typical symptoms, but all of his lab results point to this.  Not to mention, his most recent lab test revealed that he was positive for Parvo as well.  (they are retesting the Parvo part to make sure that it wasn't a false positive).  How the heck he got Mono I'm not sure.  We believe that all the travel he has been doing had something to do with it.  E and I are going to try and get tested today.  (Just to be on the safe side since he didn't have typical symptoms) The doctor recommended that he rest and not do any contact sports or bike riding for a while.  This will prove to be difficult for him for sure.  Not to mention that we can't kiss and he can't drink either!  The poor guy is going to have to find some sort of outlet.  Maybe yoga?  I keep telling him that he would really like it.  Not to mention it is something we can do together.  Time for a lifestyle change.  Not going to be easy for my outdoorsy guy!


Today the house goes on the market!  We have cleaned up, cleared out and make this place look picture perfect!  We are praying that the right person walks in the door and says "this is just what we are looking for"!  It is a great home and we will really miss it.  We have deliberated on the list price and we think we have priced it well.  Now we wait!


The big question these days is:  "When are you moving?"
We are working on that and don't have a set date yet, but do have a date range.  We are guessing that it will be sometime after August 11th and before September.  Elliot's school starts August 15th, but Scott isn't supposed to travel till mid August due to his illness.  As well, we need to get our immunizations before we go and can't travel for 2 weeks after we get them.  


The movers are coming to pack and move our stuff the first week of August.  We will have 2 moves.  One for Singapore and one for the local move to our uptown condo.  After that we will be unpacking and setting up the uptown condo.  We're pretty excited about that part.  We love the condo uptown and it is going to be fun decorating it.  The Singapore stuff will be shipped off in 2 shipments.  One: Expedite ship - which will take 2 - 3 weeks to arrive in Singapore.  This will be the things that we need right when we get there.  Two:  Container ship - this will take any where from 8 - 10 weeks.  We have decided to ship some of our furniture since that we have a place and determine what will fit and what will look good there. 


That means that we have the rest of July to enjoy our life here and continue to cull out the items in our house.  We still have a lot of stuff to go through and determine where it goes.  (condo, singapore, trash, donate, storage)  We make a visit to goodwill almost every week and I have started to sell some of the stuff that we can get rid of now.   


Tomorrow my sister, E and I will be taking Blue to go live with his Grandparents in Pennsylvania.  I have cried my tears and made my peace with him leaving.  I still get choked up when I think of him not being by my side, but we are ready!  Honestly, I think Blue is ready too.  This will be retirement for him.  A slower pace with quiet time and friends that will love him well!  I don't think it will really hit me though, till we pull away on Monday and head back home.  I think I pray for some strength on that one!  God knows I'll need it!


I would say that is enough!  It has been a crazy few weeks and I am ready to move forward.  Singapore awaits us with opportunity, adventure, and a new life!

“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.” — Anonymous