I’ve been at the beach all week working. I’ve been working on a few projects and working at work and having a splendid time.

One of the things that I do well is take time for myself and I have an amazing husband who wholeheartedly supports my need to recharge my ever-depleting batteries. He’s never once not been supportive of my need to volunteer (which strangely gives me more energy), to be creative (an entire room in our house is devoted to crafting), or to maintain friendships (time away from him and the kids) because he knows how much those all mean to me.

The beach is one place that I find my center and when I am here without my kids I feel like the center I’ve found again will stay balanced a little while longer than it would if I were without them somewhere else.

This trip has been a planning time for me to think about and brainstorm about some new things on the horizon for me and it was timely to come when it did. Last year when I planned this trip I knew we’d have Quinn’s transplant behind us but I didn’t know some other projects would come into focus or that I’d be planning some different things this year for myself personally.

It’s been good to do that; to focus on something besides failing kidneys and meds and school IEPs this week and I’m grateful to have the chance to do it because Julian makes it possible.

So thanks J-man. You are an awesome husband. And each time I was on the porch of the little rental house (brainstroming/thinking/relaxing) I thought of you. Well, most times anyway.

I live a (mostly) stressful life, but don’t we all? And we all deal with it differently. One outlet for me is creative writing (in addition to scrapbooking, movie-watching, altered book creating) and so I’ve started a new blog.

Launched just this week it features pictures that I’m drawn to for their vintage and mysterious (or funny, or strange or completely whacked) quality. I’m writing stories about the people in the photos. That’s right. I’m just making it all up.

Sometimes there is a clue about the date or name and location but most of the photos have nothing. They were found in junk bins at flea markets or boxes at an estate sale or eBay, as my last box was discovered. My sister gave me about 20 for my birthday after I told her about my plans to give old pictures stories. For the most part the photos are pre-1930s but some newer ones are speaking to me too.

I have no idea if the stories are good, but they are fun to write. And as Dawn points out it’s a little creepy because she reads them and thinks they are real. My sister, Pat, says they probably are real because dead people are speaking to me.

Like I don’t have enough people yammering inside my head.

Visit Vintage Photo Stories and comment people! Cause it’s your love I need.

Just a little preview of a picture of a story I am working on now. Meet Nora and Opal.

- There is nothing like a child’s transplant on the books to get mom into checking things off her own health care list…today mammogram (girls are just fine, thanks) and eye appointment (6 months late), teeth cleaning in the next 3 weeks.

- Same goes with the house – I am CRAZY with plans to finish a few things before Quinnlin’s big day. So if you have any time and want to clean out a closet (or with me, let me know. I can be flexible with your schedule and offer an insane work environment with absolutely no benefits except the reward of a job well done and the thanks of a grateful mom.

- The bathroom is ready to be primed and painted and so I think it’s reasonable to expect that will be done by the end of the week. Going to love our $110 redo. Probably going to do a quick rearrange on the living room – which we are making into a playroom. Selling some things on craigslist I hope.

- The hospital stay is a distant memory, kind of (meaning I have my own PTSD because of it). It’s all a blur really. As is Quinnlin’s appointment to a Minute Clinic yesterday to confirm/treat and ear infection. The NP didn’t want to treat her because they have rules about treating immunosuppressed individuals. It took a while of me telling her Quinn’s immune system wasn’t compromised (yet!) and her placing a call to her supervisor.

- Quinn(lin)’s rising creatinine and BUN (2.9/92) are adding a certain level of drama around the house (and just for the record, we’d totally be discussing dialysis if she weren’t scheduled for a transplant). She is very upset about the amount of itching she feels and the amount of scratching she is doing. Nothing is offering her relief, except maybe some compassion and understanding. She just wants to be heard. And heard she was from about 12:30am to 5:45am – she’d woken herself up by scratching off a blister and it was not pretty. I’m amazed Gage didn’t wake up to find out how we were torturing his sister. We’re worse for the wear today people.

- Working on PKD Foundation Walk for PKD sponsorship solicitation today as well as new business stuff for us to help pay our escalating insurance premiums. If you know anyone who’d be interested in a business/personal PKD sponsorship of our event in Atlanta, please let me know. From $100-10,000 ranges…so something for all businesses. Soon I’ll be linking our walk pages so you can donate! We have a team goal of $40,000. I know. Double last year. Aim high, right?

- Julian asked me out on a date for this coming Saturday. Nice surprise. It was by text during my mammogram, but hey, wives can’t be choosy right? Ah, the romance. Apparently, Gage didn’t want us to go out for dinner (reserved special lobster dinner!) last Thursday, you know, with him acquiring MRSA all. And yes, we’re sanitizing fools right now. And Gage is very good about keeping the area covered. So they allowed him back to normal living. Which for him, has its own meaning, but you get the idea.

-  Off to get the kids and delivery hospital excuse forms and medication permission forms at school. Then some business work and then off to see how much I can pay for glasses. The highest in the past was $500. I DO NOT have $500 to spend on glasses, but I am fond of seeing clearly, so credit it is.

Happy Monday all.

A New Baby

Our lives change

In a moment

We are scared

How can this be?

Death?

I pray for healing

Settle for alive

In clarity I see hope

Intertwined with fear

Always

Suspension

Between certainty and uncertainty

Difficult balance

A gaping hole of grief

What should have been

So strong. And brave

They say

Essential

They deserve it

Or an integral part of them will be lost

When there is sadness

For them

Part of my soul leaves

From me

Written a long time ago by me.

Tomorrow it is back to work and to the reality of the  kids’ needs and the clients’ needs. The beach seems like so far away! How is it that only yesterday I returned home.

The family had a fabulous week and the kids did spectacular at school and it was all good.

Apparently as a reward each day (hence the nearly perfect week of 5 star days) Julian allowed Gage to help him REMOVE A WALL between our living room and dining room.  Since the day we moved in this house, I’ve wanted this wall down. It seems that Julian wanted to surprise me.  Julian was given the recommendation to do a “special project” with Gage to help Gage feel more connected to Daddy and it’s working wonders. Gage is a charm to be with and he’s good at destruction/construction so it’s a win-win. Each day that Gage had a good day, they would demolish another part of the wall. Tomorrow? A door frame for a door we’re closing up between the kitchen and dining room – because we’re opening up a-whole-nother wall!

I have a lot to do this week…

- Need to refile some paperwork that was lacking a doc signature.

- Need to get the kids’ dentist appointments set. Thank goodness Quinn’s front tooth came in – cause it was about a year behind – and I thought she’d have to get her gum cut to let it out! But no! She’s got a cute tooth and one day she’ll have two full front teeth. After 3+ years of a crazy semi-toothless grin, we’re pretty happy.

- Gage’s labs need to get done this week or is it next? Quinn’s, too for that matter.

- Quinn’s shot has been going great lately…because I haven’t had to do them! Since then, so easy! Thanks Leslie! I know she yells, “You stupid baby meanie!” but hey, it’s only once or twice.

- Need to do some calling about some resources for another family member.

- Need to work! Clients couldn’t believe I was gone a week after the Holiday.

- Need to get caught up on West Wing.

- Need to get back into blogging daily.

- Need to work on organizing some crafting stuff.

- Clean.

- Need to finish an essay about navigating Gage’s services for mental health. At least I started it at the beach.

- Finish up some thank you notes and mail the rest of our new years cards.

- I need to go upload some pictures and I need to learn how to post a video from my new Flip camera!

I’m already thinking/scheming about my beach trip next year…

Return me to the beach.

Dawn over at This Woman’s Work is launching a new entity of her business for the un-bloggers interested in blogging (she does assessment and strategy and implementation). Go here, to Open Book Strategies and see what it’s about…

I can speak from my own experience that Dawn’s work (on blogging, writing, concepting, strategy) is fabulous. She does a ton of my client writing (I farm out a lot to freelancers). She set up my entire blog thingy through wordpress and my host and then she does all of my upgrades and basically is my tech person in the world I know as blogomania (ask my network guy, I have a lot of stupid questions). So if you are looking for this service at all, I urge you to contact her.

Dawn is one of the few women I know that has many different talents, and she’s equally good at all of them. So much so, that she could go in many directions career wise. She sees this as a negative. To that I say…um, you are versatile sister. And it’s all good. She’s an incredible strategist, writer, mom, wife, mom and friend.

I’m happy we found each other through the Internets. She’s a great supporter of mine both professionally and personally and we spew diet coke regularly from laughing together on the phone.  Recently, I came across an email early on in our communication outside of comments on her blog (I’ve been reading her for about 4 1/2 years) and I was writing to her like she was an Internet Goddess, a Master of Blogging. Which, actually, we all know is true.

Dawn over at This Woman’s Work is launching a new entity of her business for the un-bloggers interested in blogging (she does assessment and strategy and implementation). Go here, to Open Book Strategies and see what it’s about…

I can speak from my own experience that Dawn’s work (on blogging, writing, concepting, strategy) is fabulous. She does a ton of my client writing (I farm out a lot to freelancers). She set up my entire blog thingy through wordpress and my host and then she does all of my upgrades and basically is my tech person in the world I know as blogomania (ask my network guy, I have a lot of stupid questions). So if you are looking for this service at all, I urge you to contact her.

Dawn is one of the few women I know that has many different talents, and she’s equally good at all of them. So much so, that she could go in many directions career wise. She sees this as a negative. To that I say…um, you are versatile sister. And it’s all good. She’s an incredible strategist, writer, mom, wife, mom and friend.

I’m happy we found each other through the Internets. She’s a great supporter of mine both professionally and personally and we spew diet coke regularly from laughing together on the phone.  Recently, I came across an email early on in our communication outside of comments on her blog (I’ve been reading her for about 4 1/2 years) and I was writing to her like she was an Internet Goddess, a Master of Blogging. Which, actually, we all know is true.

Dawn over at This Woman’s Work is launching a new entity of her business for the un-bloggers interested in blogging (she does assessment and strategy and implementation). Go here, to Open Book Strategies and see what it’s about…

I can speak from my own experience that Dawn’s work (on blogging, writing, concepting, strategy) is fabulous. She does a ton of my client writing (I farm out a lot to freelancers). She set up my entire blog thingy through wordpress and my host and then she does all of my upgrades and basically is my tech person in the world I know as blogomania (ask my network guy, I have a lot of stupid questions). So if you are looking for this service at all, I urge you to contact her.

Dawn is one of the few women I know that has many different talents, and she’s equally good at all of them. So much so, that she could go in many directions career wise. She sees this as a negative. To that I say…um, you are versatile sister. And it’s all good. She’s an incredible strategist, writer, mom, wife, mom and friend.

I’m happy we found each other through the Internets. She’s a great supporter of mine both professionally and personally and we spew diet coke regularly from laughing together on the phone.  Recently, I came across an email early on in our communication outside of comments on her blog (I’ve been reading her for about 4 1/2 years) and I was writing to her like she was an Internet Goddess, a Master of Blogging. Which, actually, we all know is true.

Dawn over at This Woman’s Work is launching a new entity of her business for the un-bloggers interested in blogging (she does assessment and strategy and implementation). Go here, to Open Book Strategies and see what it’s about…

I can speak from my own experience that Dawn’s work (on blogging, writing, concepting, strategy) is fabulous. She does a ton of my client writing (I farm out a lot to freelancers). She set up my entire blog thingy through wordpress and my host and then she does all of my upgrades and basically is my tech person in the world I know as blogomania (ask my network guy, I have a lot of stupid questions). So if you are looking for this service at all, I urge you to contact her.

Dawn is one of the few women I know that has many different talents, and she’s equally good at all of them. So much so, that she could go in many directions career wise. She sees this as a negative. To that I say…um, you are versatile sister. And it’s all good. She’s an incredible strategist, writer, mom, wife, mom and friend.

I’m happy we found each other through the Internets. She’s a great supporter of mine both professionally and personally and we spew diet coke regularly from laughing together on the phone.  Recently, I came across an email early on in our communication outside of comments on her blog (I’ve been reading her for about 4 1/2 years) and I was writing to her like she was an Internet Goddess, a Master of Blogging. Which, actually, we all know is true.

Since the home office-to-real office I’ve been out of sync with what files are where and the time I can blog and the time I can work on other things so I have decided to go with a new laptop that is fancier – allowing me to carry with me home all my files.

This will even help me blog. I don’t have time to blog at work but when I come home I don’t have things I need, like my photos and an office chair (which I am getting today!). Which is why there isn’t a photo for Friday Photo Fun.

Another example is my contact lists. I have written lists, some on the new Blackberry, an excel file with addresses, and some in Outlook. Things are not merged and purged. It is not good when I am going to call, say a therapist to let her know we are going to be late for an appointment. Or a doctor’s number to get a refill (happens quite often) and well, you get the idea. And let’s just say that when I watch TV would be an excellent time to fix the mess know as my contact database/s. Not something I can justify doing at the office when I need to be working on billable hours!

So, a new laptop that will have it all in one place. That will be good. And it help me blog more! Come on, I know you are excited.