Diana

This is my friend Diana. I am posting this just for her. LOOK Diana-you have made it to the big screen!

Diana makes me laugh, she listens when I need a friend to complain to. She is a great date too!

Somewhere in another world we were "sisters".

Thank you Diana for being such a very dear friend.

Remembering Summer

SUMMER VEGGIES .... yum ...

Sunflowers from my flower garden.

Summer has been good to me this year. I love summer and am sad to see it go. I love the long days and spending lots of time outside. I don't even mind the heat. Not that I super enjoy the outdoors when the temp is over 100, but it usually doesn't last long.

The highlight of summer was my oldest daughter, Tonya's, wedding. I have a new son-in-law. He adores my daughter, so that makes him my favorite. (did I mention he is my only son-in-law too) :)

Kristina & Beth hosted a bridal shower for Tonya here at my house in May. Other than the heat it was a great party. Thanks to Lisa & Debbie for help in preparing and serving really great food.

Tonya & Ryan are starting their new home here in Oroville. I am so lucky to have them close by.

All of my daughters, Kristina & Beth, were in the wedding, which made it even more special. I am so proud of all of them. They are truly beautiful young women. I couldn't have felt more proud to be their mom.

I reconnected with family that I hadn't seen in about 8ish years. Wow- not only did I get to see them at the wedding, we had a great family breakfast the day after the wedding. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pix because I was too exhausted and did not make the effort to bring out the camera. UGH... I am kicking myself now!

Thanks to my cousin William and his adorable girlfriend, Jessie, we had an awesome camp-out down at the Russian River in August. (I did take lots of pix, but not "formal" type posing pix..bummer. I know that everyone hates it when we insist that you get together for fam "posing" stuff, but next time we are together I am definitely making everyone do so. I think we will all appreciate it better than the family "circle" pix that I mostly ended up with.) I love being with my family and plan to keep in close touch with all of them.

I had a wonderful flower & vegetable garden. - I wanted to post the pix here, (they are at the top instead) but I am new to this blogging stuff and was lucky enough to just get them to this post at all!!!

The girls & I took a trip to the bay area to see Bob & Linda & Boys. Daniel graduated from high school and Doug was getting ready to leave for college...off to San Diego. We stayed at my sis' Jen & Roberts house. It was a great time for all of us.

Fall season has officially arrived this past Monday. The harvest moon, as usual, was gorgeous. I love being aware of the seasons and the changes they bring. Last year the harvest moon was in October and September was a Corn Moon. I had to find out why... because the Harvest Moon is always the full moon closest to the Fall equinox. If the Harvest Moon occurs in October, the September moon is called a Corn Moon. Historically the Native Americans kept track of the seasons by giving names to each full moon. Just a fact to share :)

How's that for Empty Nest News?

The nest is empty. A new journey...

I have been viewing several blogs lately. The funny thing is I have turned into somewhat of a "blog stocker". Complete strangers!!! YES, YES I have to confess..... I have viewed blogs of complete strangers. In doing so I have realized that all the blogs I have eyed into are those of families with children. Mostly small children (usually 3 or more). They have so much to blog about- kids, diapers, potty training, play dates, holidays, school.. there is always something happening.

Tell me, how can I keep up with that kind of stuff?!?!?!? I waited years for all this "time". Now I am not so sure what to do with it. Except nature plays this awful trick on you... see when you get older it takes twice (no sometimes 3x) more the time to do the same things you did in your 20's+30's. So there you have it, you really still don't have "time" because you need so much more of it than before.

This blog is about the next part .... 'empty nest". This is my journey through unfamiliar territory. Somedays I am ok with this and others not so much. It is like being fired from a 25 year position as CEO. I have just moved up a notch on that ladder called life. In case you don't know I am terrified of heights and don't really like the step up. I am learning to look down and enjoy the view.

There was no such things as blogs when I was raising a family. We took pictures on the family camera (yes it had 35mm film, NO digital), took the film to the local market, and waited.... somtimes up to a week or more for them to return. If you got the film to the store on time you could get one day service for a small extra fee. It was so exciting when the pictures arrived back... we took them carefully out of the envelope and promptly placed them (out of a the 12-36 pic taken there was only a dozen or so worthy) in some sort of photo album. There was no way to view the pictures as soon as you took them to see if it was a "keeper". Now I can tell you from personal experience that there were some really weird pictures taken. I cannot imagine what I could possibly have been thinking! There was no scrapbooking paraphernalia for the albums of yester-year, just a plain old photo books with sticky backgrounds (usually black or brown) with some sort of sticky lay over film to cover the pictures. Sure enough the plastic film of whatever, eventually ate some of those early photographs. wow--- Imagine that!

Once upon a time ago at the age of 19 I chose to be a mother. That is what I have been and done since the birth of my first daughter (1979) until the youngest daughter turned 18 (2004).
My nest fully emptied in early spring of 2005 (good thing this was a very gradual progression).

I am here amongst the scattered feathers. If you have ever examined an abandoned birds nest it forever has remains of feathers of all the little birdies hatched there. You just cannot get rid of them. Good thing too because on a especially cold and lonely day those feathers can keep you pretty warm.

There is nothing in this world I love more than my 3 daughters. It is an honor to be their mother. They have, and continue (in their adult way) to give my life purpose. They keep me on track as a new journey begins...NEVER afraid to remind me when I become a little wayward on this new journey.