January blahs

It's almost the end of January and I'm still not back in the swing of things.  School has started again and life is full of work and volunteering but my beginning of the year energy just isn't there yet. 

I've been trying to do 365 days of decluttering and have kept up fairly well so far.  My kitchen cupboards are a lot more organized and by the end of this week, my refrigerator should be cleaned out.  As much as I dislike cleaning, 15 minutes a day is manageable on most days. 

Now I'm off to do 200 pages of reading on panic disorder and social phobias.  Aren't you jealous :-)

Christmas in Iowa

How quickly our Christmas week in Iowa went by!  The weather was cool and misty.  With no snow on the ground this year we were able to go out and do a few things like a trip to the Amana Colonies and another to Prairie Light bookstore in downtown Iowa City.  The big people even got out for a special dinner together.

Two of the hits of Christmas morning were the rocking horse for Ash and the lighted mini ray guns the boys found in their stockings.  Rowan and Ash had a great time and didn't get bored until the next day LOL

Aunt Nicole was able to come for a couple of days before Christmas and we had a great time together as a family.  We were happy our daughter, Nicole, was there to be part of the fun, and our son, Dominic, and daughter-in-law, Alex, were both off for the week.  That rarely happens that everyone is off together!

It's always hard to leave, especially when the boys are telling us not to go, but the realities of life called us back to Arizona.  The cats still have barely left my side.

Soon school will start again and I'll be back in another round of reading and papers. I'm closing my nonprofit consulting business, to focus on geriatric care and my volunteer work with Creating the Future. Guitar Guy is moving to a different law firm starting January 2, so the new year will bring changes for both of us.

Hoping you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and have a healthy, happy 2015!

First Christmas

Our first Christmas celebration this year was with our daughter Nicole and her boyfriend, Scott.  We baked cookies, made eggrolls and watched Christmas movies.  She was very excited about her new Christmas dragon and the blue Kitchenaid mixer she really wanted.

Today we'll start the morning with pumpkin pancakes and apple cider syrup followed by more cookie baking.  Guitar Guy is off to play a gig with his band, while we continue the movie marathon. 

Life is good.

Lighted Village

 Today feels more like the holidays with Chex Mix in the bowl, fudge on the counter and the village lights glowing.

Grateful for small things

I am grateful for a beautiful Christmas tree, a purring cat at my side and a hot cup of coffee.

Home again

 Back home from North Dakota and already missing the beautiful fall weather. It was a wonderful week and I learned a ton but took very few pictures to share with you. My first day I went to Red Pepper Tacos, which is a Grand Forks tradition. Friends who grew up there told me to have a grinder with ham, taco meat and hot sauce, so that's what I did. They also shared fond memories of stopping there after school or during college.

While online school is convenient, there really is nothing like being on campus in a live classroom, or going out with friends after class is done. It has been a good many years since I attended my undergraduate program and I'd forgotten how fun it is to be surrounded by a group of people who are as passionate as I am about social work.

Most of my classmates were kind about including this grandma in their activities even though many are young enough to be my kids! I did learn from the 20 and 30 somethings that Dr. Who is either for teens or old people. Does that mean I'm a teenager?

This week is back to the routine of work and homework with a long string of papers due between now and Christmas break. What about you?  How is your week going?

Live from Grand Forks, ND

It's hard to believe that I'm sitting here in Grand Forks, preparing for my on campus week at UND. I've known I would be here for a long time, but it's a strange feeling being alone in a city I know little about and not knowing a soul here.  That will all change tonight when the rest of my 50 or so MSW classmates show up for the meet and greet. 

I'm excited and anxious at the same time about a full week of immersion in group therapy practice but am looking forward to meeting my classmates in person, after months of online interactions.  Even with live feeds, it is hard to get to know much about each other beyond the superficial.

Today more people start arriving and I'm off to meet a couple of them for lunch.  Off to shower and bundle up for the cold weather.  Thanks goodness for wool socks!