The change in seasons. Autumn activities. October around the corner. I miss dad. Plain and simple. A year ago he helped me bury my cat in the front yard. A week later he brought me a bag of apples. And then he was gone. Just gone. Veronica and I were saying that there's something harder about not having dad around. I guess when we lost mom, as tough as it was on all of us, we had dad. With them both gone, boy the melancholy settles in sometimes and the realization that we could spend the next 40 years without them is pretty tough. We were just a really close family that's all. Life was richer with them in it. Life is great. Life is better than great most days, but there isn't a day that goes by I don't miss them both. So hear me: if you have your parents make the best of this time He gives you. Hug them. Thank them. Tell them how your world would never be the same without them. Spend time with them. Be patient with them. Let them matter to you. Plan that visit that was supposed to happen six months ago. Make that phone call and engage yourself in the conversation. I don't know what I'd do if I had to add guilt to the mix. How grateful I am we made the most of our time together. I just know it would be really great to have them over for supper tonight. It would be really great to see them again...

long haul...

Last night, while eating once again with the nephews, I asked Kevin to scoot a little closer to me. I needed to have him near. I needed to tell him how grateful I am that we're still together these 22+ years. Marriage isn't easy. Few are perfect, if any, and ours has seen its share of bumps to be sure. I'm just glad we've managed to beat the odds. And I'm thankful, for all my strong-willed ways and manners, this guy I latched onto in my college years still comes home to me, and I still find pleasure in his company. I watched someone, who walked a different path for whatever reasons, snuggle up to someone, who just may turn out to be husband #2 for whatever reasons, complete with kids, who by appearances seem to have settled into her presence in their changing circle and it was just so strange. Not the first combined family I've even seen, this one just left me feeling such loss. A bit imbalanced or something. Perhaps my memories of her first family got the better of me. I'm just thankful we're not a statistic. And if we've made it this far, it's pretty safe to say, we're not a statistic waiting to happen. I love my guy. He loves me. How rich, how very rich, is that.

McD's drive-thru last night, after we picked up the nephews from soccer practice:

Ret to Kev: 2 cheeseburger happy meals, one plain, two cokes.

Kev: 2 cheeseburger happy meals, one plain, two cokes.

Ret to Kev: 1 fish sandwich.

Kev: 1 fish sandwich. make that two, one tartar only.

Ret to Kev: 1 quesadilla.

Kev: 1 quesadilla.

Attendant: Excuse me. Did you say, quesadilla?

Kev: yes. 1 quesadilla.

Ret: (wetting myself silly)

Attendant: I'm sorry sir. We don't carry quesadillas.

Kev: I'm sorry. She's joking.

Kev to Ret: I was thinking about ordering two...

Nephews: much giggling...

Later last night:

We're watching Kevin fill up the van. Well, put $20 in the van. Thing is, I've NEVER seen him nail it and I engage the nephews in a bet to see how many pennies over he goes this time. I'm in for 2, Chandler's in for 1 and Harrison is still eating his plain cheeseburger. Click. $19.96. Click. Click. $20.04. Nuts. I declare winnings simply for the fact he didn't nail it. Again.

We're pulling out and granted it's a bit tricky leaving the Hy-Vee station to make a left. And actually, you're not supposed to make a left. Which is why the sign is there. The one Kevin isn't seeing until I point to it. So, with a little frustration about the exit abortion he circles around to head a different direction muttering something about "how's he supposed to read that little (standard) sign." Then this little first grade voice says: DO NOT ENTER.

Later still:

We're pulling into the Taco Bell drive-thru to order something for the niece who joined us after the previous stops. The boys are begging Kevin to order...Happy Meals.

weebles wobble...

Let me qualify this little tale by first saying that the young lady in this little tale was doing her best to help me and the humor I saw in the making of this little tale is by no means meant for her harm...

I have a pair of wireless rim glasses, that although cool and trendy, tend to lose the lens frequently. This happened again on Sunday so I ran them to Wal-Mart to have them fix them again for the umpteenth time. The girl who knew how to do this was at lunch so I did some shopping and forgot to pick them up when I left. They left a message for me at home saying they were ready and I could stop and pick them up. They also said they had accidentally scratched the lens and had ordered me a new one at no cost. Which leads me to my little tale.

I ran in after work today thinking it would just take a second even though there were several patients being helped ahead of me. When I told them I was there for my glasses, this young woman said she was the one who called and she'd get them. Well, for the next thirty minutes or so I watched her look for them. Now, the reason I found this so funny and not irritatingly inconvenient is because this young woman had apparently had some type of foot procedure requiring one of those blue boots on her left foot but had elected to wear a heeled dress sandal on the right. As she combed the store from one room to the other, from one drawer to the other, back and forth from one colleague to another, she hobbled. As she hobbled this pen that was tucked in the pocket of her lab coat fell to the floor. Not once. Not twice. Not three times. Not even four times. At least five stinking times her pen fell from her pocket, each time she patiently bent over to pick it up and kept looking. (I don't know about you, but between the limp and the stupid pen I would have been ready to scream...) Finally, one of the lab techs offered me a seat and assured me they'd replace the glasses if they were unable to locate them. He explained she was nervous about not being able to find them. I decided to make my returns and pick up a few things and come back, thinking she could use some space.

I returned in 20 minutes or so and they had found the glasses. I almost laughed out loud when they had to "find" the girl to ask her where she put them...

And once again. I don't make this stuff up.

in lieu of flowers...

I accompanied Shawna to a couple stores today in search of fabric to reupholster two sofas for their movie room currently being remodeled. Because we were waiting for John to join us for his input I was allowed enough time to peruse the new fall merchandise at K-Mart. Lucky me, I found two reasonably priced fall wreaths for my family room French doors. Lovely. We then headed to JoAnn's Fabric where John fell in love with a bolt of fabric in the remnant section destined to be his sofa. Because we were waiting for someone to measure the yardage I was allowed enough time to peruse the new fall merchandise there as well. Lucky me, I found another reasonably priced fall wreath for my kitchen wall between the desk and the cupboard. Satisfied with our finds we checked out and as we're headed up the stairs to the door I hear him say:

Every time I see you buy a wreath I see one more we're gonna have to haul out of your house when you die.

The boy's got a point.

not a bad way to spend the evening...

Pre-sunset, gorgeous fall evening.
Favorite lawn chair.
Sweatshirt and comfy pants.
Freshly brewed cup of coffee delivered by favorite hubby.
Brand new copy of "Revelation's Rhapsody" by Dr. Lowery that came in the mail today.

Congratulations Brian's dad :) Two chapters in and lovin' it...

make that three things...

him: let's hope QHS won and QND lost.

me: (for fifty cents a day the Whig sure gives this guy a reason to get up in the morning...)

him: d---. there it is. big 'ole picture of QND.

and thus begins another media-biased football season in the Nobis house.

him: oh no. leahy again. and he's sad.

first words out of his mouth.