Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Ready For Tomorrow

I prayed for rest.  I prayed for a break.  I prayed for life to slow...for me to be able to catch my breath.

And yet, life just kept moving forward.

And then, in the midst of all life's busyness,  it happened.

This weekend happened.

There were quite a few suppers in the garden...and a few breakfasts, too.  The fountain, with the help of the muscles of our middle born son, was repaired by that guy that I like so much.  Errands were run...to Lowes and to Target and to the expensive hoity toity grocery store, all with the youngest boy in tow.  Books were read, games of cribbage were played, Sangria was drunk.

Mama....that's me, is happy again.  And whole.

=0)

Tomorrow...well, tomorrow is going to be full.  But somehow having had this long restful weekend, I am ready.  Ready to hit the ground running, ready to handle the stresses and problems that work will bring, ready to handle it all.

Positive thinking is the biggest chunk of the battle.

It feels so good to have bread dough already made and in the fridge, ready for baking this week.  The laundry is done...not just done, but folded and put away.  The kitchen is clean and there is a brand new Bachelorette ready to be watched.

Life....it's good right now.

(I need to keep reminding myself of that...otherwise I start thinking too much and getting stomach aches again.  Just keepin' it real...)

We settled in tonight and watched a Downton Abbey and WHOA.  Still hooked.  Still behind everyone else.  Still...shocked.  Thought I'd read most of the spoilers but this one caught me by surprise.

Still love it.

=0)


Monday, May 27, 2013

A Long, Long Weekend


I've been a bit overwhelmed these last few months and I've felt myself crumbling in the last week.  It's not a feeling I have very often and not one I like...but it's one I just haven't been able to shake of late.

And then God said...let me give you a weekend.  A nice, long weekend.

=0)

But first there had to be speed bumps...a crisis at work 2 minutes before the end of my work day that had to be handled and was one of those situations that made my blood boil.  This has been my year of dealing with difficult personalities and I know I am in my position for a reason...but I am so ready for summer that I can taste it.  

But then, the weekend happened.  A long, non work filled weekend.

We had a few garden parties.  I hammered out some jewelry.  We ate some good eats, laughed at an old movie, sang one of my favorite songs in church.  We researched auto alarms for a 1995 car which seems ridiculous, but is something I think is going to have to happen.  I booked us a vacation.  Did some laundry.

Napped in the sun.

God gave me such a beautiful gift these last few days and the best part?  There's a whole day left.  

I actually had myself a good cry in the shower yesterday...the kind of cry where you aren't really sure why you are crying except that you just can't keep it in anymore.  And so I cried, let it all out and then napped in my happy blue chair in my garden.

I woke up rested.  Relieved.  Relaxed.

=0)

Today after church we ventured to a little German village right near where Brian was training in Huntington Beach.  That guy that I like so much discovered that the hof brau haus had 20 beers on tap that were direct from his motherland and so we sat and drank and ate things served to us by women with attitudes who happened to be wearing lederhosen.

I guess I'd have an attitude, too.

=0)

I love German food.  Well...I actually love food...but what's not to love about meat and potatoes and gravy made with gingersnaps in it?  And a moment of silence for red cabbage, please.

YUM.

Came home and napped.  Another short, sweet, nap.

Life right now seems doable.  Three more weeks until summer.  Three more weeks of 12 - 14 hour days (for reals) seems doable.

I...well, I can do this.

=0)

Tomorrow will be a laundry day.  A hanging out at home (other than a hike in the morning) day.  A pot roast cooking day.  A bread making day.  A day to give thanks day...thanks for a sweet, sweet weekend.

Tuesday will come...but not yet.  

Happy long weekend, my friends.  Praying your weekend was restful, too.

=0)

Saturday, May 25, 2013

I Don't Even Know Where To Begin

On Thursday morning, bright and early at 7:30am, I received a call from the city of Colton's police department.  Matthew's car had been found in the parking lot of a 99 cent store about 30 miles away from where it had been stolen the previous Saturday.

They gave us 30 minutes to pick up the car or they were going to tow it to an impound lot...the problem was, we live over an hour away and our beautiful son was on a trip to Vegas.  

Great timing, Matteo.

They wouldn't give us any info on the condition of it, other than the stereo had been ripped out and the ignition was damaged.  No clue as to anything else...such as to whether or not there were tires or even an engine.

After going back and forth, I told them to tow it.

Schedules were rearranged and that guy that I like so much and I headed out to figure this situation out. We had everything with us that you need to get a car that you own free and clear back into your possession...insurance cards, title, drivers license.  Oh, and the bill for the registration since the actual registration was in the car.  Which was, quite obviously, stolen.

We arrived at the PD an hour or so away and go in to get the release.  It takes awhile, but they finally conclude that we are the owners.  They send us on our way to the impound lot a few miles away...on the other side of the tracks.  Literally.

Impound lot #2 in a month.  That's gotta be a record.

If you've never been to one...and well, I've only been to two, they aren't in the best of neighborhoods.

Just sayin'.

All I could think was that I was SO glad that guy that I like so much was along for this journey.  Now he can cross that off his bucket list, too.

=0)

I must say, the impound lot in Colton is a step up from the impound lot in Fontana.  Still creepy, but definitely a bit nicer...on the inside anyway.

Our friend Fred brought us to the car and this is where it gets interesting.  He asks us for the keys and, well...where oh where are the keys?

One set is in Vegas with Matthew and the other set?

Home.

The keys...they are at home.

You have GOT. TO. BE. KIDDING. ME.

By now, I'm on low blood sugar.  That guy that I like so much is rolling his eyes.  Fred, the impound guard, starts telling us that his marriage ended after 23 years to a situation like this.  Michael and I start having one of those conversations that you can only have with someone you've been married to for a long, long time...the ones where all the words you need to say are said in a non verbal way.

The crossing of arms, which means  'you idiot, you forgot the keys at home?'
The pursing of lips, which means 'you need to figure this out.  Now.'
The rolling of eyes, followed by the turning of your back, which means 'I am so mad at you right now, this is all your fault, there is no way in hell I am driving 3 hours to get the keys, I wonder if I can a good sandwich somewhere around here?'

Fred, out new impound friend, then makes a comment...and it it goes like this:

"Hey.  Are those Ray-bans?  I like Ray-bans."

He then pulls out a key and offers it to us in exchange for that guy that I like so much's sunglasses.

He's trying to dicker...Ray-ban's for a master Honda key.

And here's where it happens.  That guy that I like so much gets a little smile on his face because he knows what is about to happen.  He knows me well.  He squeezes my hand, looks at Fred with a bit of pity and nods his head as if to say, 'go to it.'

What Fred didn't know is that even though I drove up in a convertible...well, I get him.  Fred is one of my people.  His kind are my kind.  I am more like Fred than I'm not.

And there was NO WAY under the sun that he was getting those sunglasses.

Many, many words were spoken...calm, kind, funny words in my 'inner hood' dialect and in the end the car was started up with a mail key on that guy that I like so much's key ring. After adding up all the repair costs, we called the insurance and told them to tow it, fix it, call us when it's done.  Fred told us that our insurance was going to auction it off, tried again to offer us a master key, asked again for the Ray-Bans.

No deal.

I have no clue where the car is now.  The sunglasses are still in our possession.  Fred has his master key.

By now, it's mid afternoon and I was hungry and grumpy and tired.  We drove to Riverside, to the Mission Inn, and had the best lunch ever at Simple Simon's.  It's a bakery/sandwich place and the food was incredible.  I've heard the Mission Inn is all decked out at Christmas time...I can't wait to go back.

And this carrot cake?

Worth the trip to an impound lot.

=0)

Beautiful there.  Absolutely beautiful.

Life...it's always an adventure.  Never a dull moment around these parts.   I have no idea where the car is and frankly, I don't care.  It's not in my hands..so I'm not going to worry about it.  

=0)




Monday, May 20, 2013

The Not-So-Prodigal Son

Living in Redlands is full of adventure.

At the top of Smiley Road, overlooking Redlands.

Carolyn's, the best breakfast place in town.

Hangar 24, the local brewery (try the Double IPA, but bring your own 5lb bag of peanuts!).

But tonight.. Tonight I got to sit in the backseat of a police car this fine evening.


It was great.


As I strolled out the fine establishment that is Target, I noticed that the tail-lights on my freshly-washed, oil-changed, finally-working-stereo-system, recovered-from-being-stolen-from-Fontana-not-even-two-weeks-prior Honda Accord suddenly clicked on.

"That's strange, I don't have remote startup on this 1995."

And pulling away.

I thought it must have been the sugar rush from the German Chocolate Cake Signature Ice Cream from Coldstone finally kicking in.

But no, my luxurious whip was screeching out of the parking lot.

You know what the best part is about having a loving, compassionate, trusting mother?




Me neither :]

At least I got to sit in the back of a police car.


But if I'm to be brutally honest, the seats back there are plastic and there ain't no leg room man, so it wasn't as cool as I thought.

At least I still got this whip to cruise around on.


Till next time, y'all. Go show your car some love.

Matt

Absolutely UNBELIEVABLE.


 Saturday afternoon, I roasted some chickens.  Nothing special...just stuffed them with fresh herbs and lemon and let them roast in a really hot oven for a little over an hour.  It was just an ordinary Saturday...me, that guy that I like so much and our two cats in our little house on our little street.

There was supposed to be another here with us, but at the last minute Brian was invited over to a friends for dinner and since it was a Saturday, I said yes.  I cut up the chickens and served them along with some roasted potatoes and roasted cauliflower and broccoli.  We sat in the garden and shared a bottle of wine.

And all was peaceful.

Our boy in the middle was at an all day concert and kept sending us fun pictures throughout the afternoon.  I love how happy he is.  And I'm not supposed to say nuthin'...but isn't she beautiful?

=0)

Anyway, in the midst of my happy place, our neighbors came over and my happy place became even happier.  I fed them the remnants of our supper and we were laughing and telling stories and just having a really nice time in the garden.

And then, in true Busch form, a story decided to bloom.

Matthew begins to text me, telling me he's in the back of a police car.  I, of course,  don't believe him, until the pictures start coming.  Turns out he really was in the back of police car.

My oldest.  The easy one.  In a police car.

=/

My son was in the book store on Friday night and came out just in time to see a guy in a hooded sweatshirt jump into his car and take off.  

The car that was stolen (and found again) 5 weeks ago.  The car that is, quite obviously, one of the most stolen cars in America.  The car that we chose, because we are cheap, to not install a kill switch in when it was recovered last time.  The car that Matthew, who was standing in the parking lot with the keys in his hand, watched being driven away.

Here. We. Go. Again.

He called 911 and they responded immediately.  They have it on surveillance video from the store's parking lot.  They spotted it with helicopters on the freeway before losing it.  They told him that if the car is recovered (which they highly doubt will happen) to sell it and buy something else.

And then they offered him a ride home, which he accepted..in the back of the cop car, where he proceeded to document via social media.  Gotta love him.

So tomorrow morning at 9:00am,  I will be on the phone to the insurance company to tell them the same car was stolen AGAIN.  Think they'll believe me????

Instead of dwelling on it, we...ummmm....had cocktails.  A few of them.  

=0)

So this morning, just like we did a month ago, we drove to where Matthew lives to drop off our extra car.  It's almost funny...but then again it's not.  I mean, it's just a car...but how many people have the same car stolen twice????

My family, that's who.

I'll let you know how this one pans out, but I'm telling you this....if it turns up in the impound in Fontana, I'm NOT going to pick it up.  Juan or no Juan...it's NOT happening.  




Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Ten Things


1.  My middle born.  Love him.  He is solely responsible for 97% of the gray hairs on my head and more sleepless nights than I can count, but man, has he been worth it.  The best part?  Gray hairs can be covered for $7.50 and sleep does indeed come again.  Houston, he's growing up.

=0)

2.  Grilled veggies.  Can't get enough of them.  Great on their own...even better tossed with some homemade pesto and pasta the next day.

3. Steaks.  For Mother's Day.  I often say that I would be a vegetarian if it wasn't for beef.  Give me a steak or a pot roast or a rib.  Please.

4. A little whipped cream, shaped like a flower, on some strawberries and shortcake.  Pretty...and tasty. And pretty tasty!

5. Excel spreadsheets, multiple phones, papers and papers and more papers.  My office can't be beat, though.  I watch the sun wake up my little street five mornings out of the week.  This weeks creamer choice?  Coconut cream.  Not bad....not bad at all.

6. Chili in a bread cone at Flo's.  Dear Cars Land....I love thee.  So much so that we renewed our annual passes.  What can I say...it's our favorite date place, we both got some birthday dollars and so we splurged.  

7. Best ride ever.  EVER.  And check out my hair!!!!  Too funny!  The three ladies in front were downright weird.  What's up with smoking an electric cigarette in line? 

8. Fritto Misto.  All good until I ate a HUGE mussel, thinking it was an artichoke.  Icky phooey blech.  Until then, perfect.  After then, perfect.  During the chewing of said mussel...NO BUENO.

=0)

Oops.  That's all I've got.  Eight things, but I'm too lazy to even change the title.  

That guy that I like so much fixed my computer (I guess you're supposed to do regular updates and not hit ignore over and over and over) so now I'll be up and running again.  

He was a leetle perturbed...but in true guy that I like so much form, hid it well. He's a keeper.

=0)

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