So nice, but so unexpected!

Tonight Bill & I went to dinner with our friends- Julie, husband Joe and Andrea.  I have known Julie for about 22 years now, she was one of my first clients back in the day at June Jackson Travel.  She chose to follow me throughout my career to my different agencies/positions and over the years we have become friends.   I have sent Julie & Joe on various trips over the years and through Julie I have sent her & Andrea on a few "gal pal" trips.   I have also traveled with Julie & Andrea on a fun weekend cruise!  Our friendship was brought to a new level a few years ago when Julie & Andrea joined my Giants ticket partner group when I had an opening.

Of course with Facebook we are so much more connected on a regular basis and that helps to keep the friendship blossoming.   We are in tune with each others lives and the trials and tribulations of having aging, failing health parents.  So we are VERY connected.   Julie had sent a message a few days ago to see if Bill & I were available to go out to dinner with them, they wanted to check out the Teppanyaki restaurant that Bill & I go to all the time.   I'm always up for a fun night out with good friends...so we met them tonight.  Well turns out that was all a premise with a purpose.

Julie & Andrea had rallied my ticket partners to put together a "thank you" gift for me for being such a great ticket owner.  WOW.   I have always been so grateful to my ticket partners because without them, I wouldn't have season tickets- it would be impossible to go to 80 games a season and very stressful to try to sell off that many games.  I have very reliable, responsible ticket partners who all share a LOVE for our team- the San Francisco Giants.  I feel so blessed to have them all and even though we only get together as a group once a year, to pick our games - it's a blast.  It's like we all know each other intimately because we are all connected because of Giants baseball.

Well, the card and package brought tears to my eyes.  A card that thanked me for all that I do for them and allowing them all to partake in the greatest game on earth.   A gift card from Macy's and a beautiful Giants necklace and earrings.   I found out that Bill knew about this, although he didn't put 2 and 2 together to know that I would be presented with the gift at dinner tonight.   Apparently,  they wanted to get the same bracelet from the Bradford Exchange that my sister bought me for Christmas that I'm not supposed to know about- but that's a different story of how Bradford Exchange sucks as a business and can't deliver anything in a reasonable amount of time.    In any case...come April 5th- I will be sitting at AT&T park on Opening Day and I will be wearing my new jewelry PROUDLY and thinking of my wonderful ticket partners who have become great friends or some who were great friends first who became wonderful ticket partners after the fact.  It works both ways.

It's so nice to be appreciated, so unexpected, so wonderful.  I love my GIANTS family!

50 days and counting...

Yep, 50 days and I'll be blogging from Maui!  I have had a few friends posting pictures from Hawaii this past week and it has gotten me in the mood for some hot weather and down time, but on the flip side- 50 days is not nearly enough time to get myself into bikini shape.  Sadly.    For the second day i a row Bill was snacking on celery- so not like him and when questioned- the answer was Maui.

Isn't it funny how we inevitably change our eating and physical activity habits when vacation is around the corner?  I have not been able to get in the additional workouts yet- each day just seems to go by so quickly - between work, teaching the few classes that I teach and then taking mom to various appointments...well finding time to workout just gets put on the back burner.  Part of this is my stubbornness- I only want to do the workout that I want to do...go walking, dancing or take Angie's Zumba class.   I need to get over myself and just go get moving!

The other day my sister emailed me about having pain while walking on her trip in TX- she has knee and foot issues and of course she knows that losing weight will help these ailments and we have both always said that we are cursed with the Harper Fat Gene.  But really- is there such a thing?  Is it really genetic?  I would certainly like to think so, helps to not feel so terrible about things.  Even my Doctor said that I was probably just one of those fit people who will always struggle with weight loss.  Damn it- I don't want to struggle.  Then I wonder too if the whole menopause shit is really chiming in- my mom uses that as a defense for me everytime I bring it up- but is that really the reason for stubborn fat not wanting to melt away?    Oye.   Everytime I talk to people about wanting to lose weight- I get the reply "but you work out so much"- but the reality of it is that I really don't work out that much- I teach 3 classes a week.  Period.  If I'm lucky I get to 2 more classes to take- or I sub more classes, like this week I am subbing two spin classes and now a last minute Body Pump class for a sick instructor friend.   It is certainly not the norm for me to teach everyday...I just need to get motivated.  I need to get moving- be it walking dancing, swimming- something.

The time is now.  Must get back in shape.  It's going to be a long road. 50 pounds to lose - AGAIN!
3rd time's the charm- maybe?

Reflective...

As I was perusing facebook tonight, I came across a High School friend's re-post of a picture, 3 generations: my friend pictured with her mom and daughter.   I picked up on a comment about her daughter missing her grandma and started to chat with her privately to learn that her mom passed away this morning.  The tears just ran down my face.   She & I got together a couple months ago when she was down in the Bay Area with another friend and we all talked about our mom's and their various ailments.  I knew at that time that her mom wasn't doing well.  She had lost the will to live, wasn't trying to live anymore.  God finally took her today.  My heart goes out to Cathy and her family.

Of course, the tears just poured down my face as I typed to my friend and tried to console her and let her know that I'm here for her- whatever she needs.   Then I look over at Bill and he's teary-eyed from what I was telling him about our meetup two months ago and our conversations about our mom's.  We were both sniffling for quite awhile.  I know part of the tears are in anticipation of when this same very time comes for me, when my mom passes.   I'll admit, I do think of it and know that I will be a wreck, but I also know that I will have zero regrets.

I am very blessed to be such a part of my mom's life and to have her be such a part of mine.  We have a very special bond, a very special friendship and I am so very thankful for that.  As trying as this year has been on me, it has been so much more trying for her.  She has been to hell and back and to hell and back again!   Seriously!   But she just keeps plugging along.  She is amazing.  I have no idea where this gumption comes from, but she is a steam locomotive!

I took mom to bingo this weekend at the Veteran's Senior Center and she was having SO.MUCH.FUN.!!  She was doing her pull tab tickets, playing all of the challenging bingo games.  It was not BORING at all!  She complains about the Woodside Terrace bingo as being "boring" because all they play is straight line bingo.  It is boring.  We didn't win, but we had a blast.  Everyone was so nice and mom was so amazed that they put on such a nice show at the Senior Center- oh boy we got a free hot dog and a free donut.  That's just what they do!   We will be making this bingo game a 1-2 times per month thing.  It's nice that they play every Sunday and then the 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month.

Taking mom to bingo on Sunday just finished off what was overall a pretty great weekend!  Had an amazing time taking a picture with BOTH World Series trophies...just wish mom would have been able to make it.  She was having tummy troubles and was afraid to go while not feeling that great.  She was missed, it was an awesome experience and I know she was bummed because she had her orange sweater on and was ready to go!   But I did get a very nice picture of me and my brother with the two trophies.  Pretty AWESOME!!  Now we need a third trophy..and I still need to attend a parade!

We had a fabulous time Friday night out to dinner and dancing with great people, stayed up way late visiting with Janet & Scott.  Saturday although wiped out, still managed to teach my class and then we had a very low key Saturday night, watching TV and listening to the storms outside.