can't say i didn't warn you

this is the irregular part of irregular updates. :-)

anyway, sunday was megan's baby shower. it was nice with an assortment of new friends, work friends, family. she received some nice gifts and a few gift cards which are always valuable.

i had purchased some used wrought iron window pieces for el rosario a while back. since i'll be leaving early thursday, i took them down to the welder to get them redesigned from an inside mount to an outside mount. they should be ready today for pick up. tomorrow morning i'll pick up a few more items, then wednesday evening will be packing time!

i'm bringing a few people some special gifts. i got little isaac an asu jersey and shorts. ramona wanted some tofu, apparently that can't be purchased there. some friends are giving me some bicycles and scooters to take. this trip will be fun as it's just odds and ends. i know them so much better this time.

whew

finally feeling so much better, fever and chills are gone. pain is gone. almost back to normal, as normal as i ever get. . .just thought i needed to clarify that as i can just see you all rolling yours eyes when you read it.

anyway.

so my big decision to go to el rosario next tuesday hit a snag. i completely forgot that austin's appt. with the arm/hand/knee surgeon was on wednesday afternoon. i want to be there to make sure that his surgery gets scheduled before his insurance runs out. that means we have to have it done before the end of april.

so it slips my schedule a bit. now i'm thinking of leaving on thursday and returning on sabbath, or whenever we feel our work is done. we, being friend david and myself.

megan/gavin news. meg started her weekly appts. today. that's the countdown to the finale. when they measured her, they became concerned about the small size of her uterus. they did an ultrasound and said that gavin is very small. he's like in the 5th percentile. that means that 95% of all babies born are bigger than he is. now my older two kids were small once they reached a year, but they both had average birth weights.

they told her that she would not be allowed to go past her due date of 4/22. i thought that odd because i figured they'd give him every opportunity to grow. but i guess there is a chance that he is a intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) baby. This is when a baby does not grow well during pregnancy because of problems with the placenta. they told her that in all likelihood, her placenta will not be able to handle the strain of birth and so chances are higher that she will go c-section.

please keep her in your prayers. little gavin too as he may face a host of health issues.

we will be right there for them both.

mulling it over

so i have some things collected for el rosario. next month will be difficult to make, unless we make a quickie weekend bike trip.

i have the time. i could rustle up a passenger with very little convincing, maybe i should go back down next week. i could drop off the material to finish the pews, new pulpit donated by the chandler church, the shop vac, security window coverings for the kitchen. there really is no reason to wait. . .

feeling a bit better

i have a doc appt today. i don't normally go because i'm sick as usually things are viral anyway and just have to take their course, but i'm more than a little sure i have a UTI and that won't go away on it's own. soo, off i go.

still feeling better from the other crud that hit me. off and on fever last night, but mostly off and i slept much, much better. that always helps.

i am hosting a baby shower for megan this sunday. i'm really not looking forward to that as i've only attended a couple in my life, and never really liked those obligatory games. but we've picked out a few and bought some gifts, so we'll get through it.

and the countdown begins. megan's due date is 4/22. she begins her weekly visits next week. she's horribly uncomfortable and everything that goes along with the final month of pregnancy. i try to remind her that at least now she can take him with her, doesn't have to change his diaper, etc. that will hit when he arrives.

our april is booking up. gavin's birth; holly, greg and the kids are coming down for a visit; possible trip to el rosario depending on gavin's birth. throw in some camping and we're really busy.

wonder if i'll get a job anytime soon. . .

i'm sick

i don't like to blame other people as the source of my illness because truth be told, even though i had family members that had been sick, i probably picked it up from some shopping cart.

i'm staying home for a couple days. first i freeze, then i'm hot. you know the drill.

i remember. . .

• feeling the desert breeze at night wafting through the window like silent waves of cool air.
• my achilles tendon being sore from standing on the pegs of the dirtbike the whole previous ride.
• waking to see the cacti back lit by the moonlight.
• the smell of the burning wood in the fire.
• the sight of victoria standing on the toilet flusher with both feet, hands on the rim and jumping up and down until she could "do it herself."
• the look of complete satisfaction when she threw a rock, detached a berry and retrieved said berry without getting a sticker. "i did it!"
• watching christopher as he set to work building his fire ring wearing his little dirtbike gloves.
• listening to my husband as he got up to check on the safety and whereabouts of the dogs
• lying on the bed and thinking "it doesn't get much better than this."

what i did on my march vacation

heh. i like the sound of that!!!

i must admit, i am a completely spoiled woman, rotten and to the core. i couldn't be more delighted.

we left on saturday, march 14 and headed south. our little band of misfits included w, myself and 3 dogs. yes, we even took shelby, our 17.5 year old lab mix that is deaf and incontinent.

the plan was to locate and stay at a resevoir that i located on a map. well, we found it. it was totally unacceptable. nothing more than a dusty dirt road in the middle of flat lands with a barb wire fenced in area that used to hold water. i felt stupid.

we changed plans and headed south once again to hook up with i10 in search of picacho peak state park. they had rv spots and we had wanted to give an rv park a try. we spent saturday night there, taking advantage of their clean, modern bathrooms and shower facilities. it was worth w's $20 nightly fee. :-)

the problem was that we had 3 dogs. shelby stays outside all of the time, but the pug and bug (boston terrier/pug mix) are so pampered, they wanted to be in all the time. we took them for several walks, but they were a pain in the neck. so we decided to go to another spot we knew of out in the desert.

we had been tent camping at 96 ranch road several times. it is a bit rugged for the rv and w had to travel at a snails pace to get it back in to the campspot. it was perfect.

we took off each morning after sleeping in and a leisurely breakfast to a new trail, a new adventure on our dirt bikes. we hit some trails that were really gnarly and technical. i felt like an accomplished dirt biker after each of those rides. my little yamaha tt230 was perfect for the deep sand and steep rocky hills. i was perfectly comfortable sticking it in 2nd gear for the technical stuff and leaving it until we were clear of it. i spent a lot of time in 2nd. :-)

i saw my first honest to goodness poisonous wild animal. on one particularly tough goat trail i came around the corner through a rocky sand wash and in the middle of the trail was this black lizard with bright yellowish-orange lightning bolt type stripes. my first gila monster.

i instinctively pulled my right foot up as i tried to avoid it by going towards it's tail. i don't know what it did as i put as many miles between it and myself as quickly as i could. brave is not one of the qualities in my genetic makeup. :-D

we would then retire to casa de beast for an afternoon nap followed by some reading time and sunset observation. i had brought an assortment of movies (vhs since the rv does not yet sport a dvd player). it has all the latest technology of circa 1995. :-)

we repeated this particular scenario several nights in a row. . .until we got victoria. then the peace was shattered. she was recovering from being sick for a week. she had developed quite an advanced case of whining during that time. it was like nails on a chalkboard and set us on edge in short order. she was so excited to see her "papa" we just had to let her live.

she loves the rv (she still calls it the "choo-choo") and insisted that we put her carseat in the front seat so she could ride with her papa. christopher joined us on saturday. the poor boy had to spend an entire week on lake havasu on a boat with his grandfather and uncle. uncle kyle is 2 years younger than chris. what a life, then he returns to go camping with his other grandparents. my life should have been so full.

the kid knows how to build a fire ring and keep the fire going. it's a little special something that he and his papa share, a pyro thing that i think is indigenous to the male species. victoria made her first fire ring. it was made with a stick and drawn in the dust, but the shape was there. she'll get it soon enough.

we spent a lot of time throwing rocks at jumping cholla. they are a particularly nasty variation of cacti that when struck explode and throw their spiny bombs everywhere. one of our favorite games was to stand on the road above and throw rocks at bulging cholla below. unfortunately, the bug, who is dumber than the dirt she walks on, would chase the rocks once we threw them. straight into the path of freshly released cactus grenades. w pulled the spines out so many times that we finally just left them in. the other dogs would limp to him and let him pull them out with the leatherman, but the bug fought to keep hers. she even went in to the unlit firepit to retrieve a spiny prize that she obviously valued so highly.

our issues with the rv had all finally been resolved. the drains had been snaked and were working well. the hot water was hot and reached the faucet and a new toilet was installed. victoria and i really appreciated that later.

it was really nice to have the wide variety of comforts at your fingertips. the propane fridge worked like a charm and kept everything cool and safe to eat. we used the microwave sparingly since it required firing up the generator.

it was a great vacation! i'm working on the pictures, but w got some wonderful sunset pics that i want him to view before i post. will post the link later.

i'm tired

i've been running all day long.

since we won't be home on monday to pack lunches for the homeless children, w and i made 60 pb&j sandwiches today, delivered them to our friend, david. he will bag the rest of the lunches and make sure they are taken care of for the week. God bless him for getting this done for us once again.

so then it was a little shopping before heading down to casa grande to get the rv. remember i still had all those doors and drawers to reattach. sigh.

so i got those all on, handles reattached and drawers put back. i also had to put everything back in that i had taken out, or had fallen out on the trip back home. i almost burned myself on the hot water in the sink.

did you hear that?!?

we have hot water at the sink!!! and, a new toilet. . .and. . .our sinks drain!!!!

i took the time to scrub the sinks clean, scrub the bathroom floor, vacuum the carpet and load most of what we'll be taking for the week. i still need to pack our clothes and personal hygiene stuff. i haven't gotten to the point where we just leave that in there. maybe after this trip we will.

so this will be a great test of how we use everything. we'll find out how long the water lasts, etc. we're going to take dirtbikes and explore some of the desert. i'm going to miss not having internet access, but it will be nice to just take the dogs and decompress for a bit.

i am looking forward to some laughter, some good conversation, exciting riding and exploring, campfires, star counting and when it gets cold, locking ourselves up and firing up the furnace!!! yeah baby! i am one spoiled woman. :-)

update

so the rv won. all issues, including a new toilet and a leak to the washer/dryer have been resolved. now i need to get it loaded, start the refrigerator, etc. it will take all day tomorrow especially considering i need to reinstall those cabinet doors and drawers. but it's what we will do next week.

and that is a good thing. i was contacted for a possible job today. seems wells has purchased wachovia and there will be much work needed in a short amount of time. they are looking for people with previous wells experience so the culture thing is in place and they are ready to move forward quickly.

could be as soon as 1.5 to 2 weeks. that means i need to be available for at least a phone interview. which means that i need to remain in country.

so there you have it.

i am looking forward to spending some quality time with my ball and chain whom i love dearly.

yeah, i know, i'm sick. :-D

how awesome is He!

yesterday was austin's last reconstruction surgery, it was to re-attach his torn ACL. he had decided to use his own ACL versus a cadaver and was warned that although it would be much stronger, it would also be a more painful recovery. his dream is to become a police officer, so he opted for the stronger, more painful route.

once they got in there, they found his ACL was fine! they took the opportunity to clean out some other cartilage and trim some damage. so the recovery time went from 6 weeks to 4 days.

he will start rehab on his knee, but he's already back in the gym working at a greatly reduced pace. he will need one more surgery to remove the rods and pins from his arm and hand, but then that should be it.

he is one blessed young man. it makes me realize that God has some plans for this one. it makes me smile just thinking about what they could be.

norris is looking at the rv as we speak. they called yesterday to confirm what is to be fixed. our travel plans next week depend greatly on which is ready, my bike or the rv. so the countdown begins. . .

if we take the rv, we will leave as soon as it's ready, go to the desert and spend a week out there riding, exploring, etc. if we take the bikes, it's baja with bahia del tortuga, scorpion bay and a few other spots that we haven't seen.

either will be delicious. i really look forward to using the rv to it's fullest. we still have the leveling jacks and the new awning to be installed, but we can use it without those next wee.

so, now the waiting game.

in the meantime, my work on the cabinet doors has slowed to a crawl. must. motivate. self.
if we are going to take the rv, we will definitely need those doors on to keep things secured.

for now it's back to work!

here i am!

and so here i am for my semi-irregular blog update.

busy, busy, busy. worked with a friend at a clothing bank, folding, steaming clothes, putting clothes out on the racks.

tomorrow austin goes in for his last reconstructive surgery. his last will be having the rods and pins in his arm and hand removed. we're getting there!

today i also bought the remaining fabric for the church in el rosario to finish their pew recovering. i bought enough material for them to finish the pews and the chairs that they have in front of the church. it is an olive green, which sounds horrible, but it actually goes well with the other fabric. it should hide the dust and wear well. i bought 13 folding chairs from craigslist and am hoping that someone will have a shop vac they can donate. i have 3 wrought iron coverings for the kitchen windows, haven't been able to get anything for the church. don't really feel too impressed to make that my burden either. it's good enough for now.

still don't know when we will get back down there. it will depend on when little gavin arrives and how megan is doing with it all. they are our priorities at this point. if we don't make it down there on the 25th, i will make it down as soon as i can.

oh, before i forget, remember that key i was having made? they did it! now i'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it will work on all the cargo compartments. if norris is able to fix the last few gotchas, we'll be out in the desert this time next week riding dirtbikes, drinking cervezas and having a grand old time. if the rv is not ready, we'll head down to baja. either way we'll be having some fun!!!

that's it for now.

a full day

yeow my arms are sore!

i got up early today to make sure i was at the rv place early. i wanted to re-install the drawers and cabinet doors that i had finished. they. looked. great.

only problem is, my rechargeable battery powered screwdriver decided to bite the dust. dead as a doornail. so i had to rehang the doors without it. what a pain in the neck. well, actually, now it's a pain in my arms. goodness my upper arms are sore from having to hold them up in the air so long.

i couldn't take it anymore, so i just brought home the doors that didn't have the little shocks on them. there are another 7 of those, not counting the 4 that i've decided not to do.

sigh.

but we've completed way more than 1/2. i think one more full work day of sanding will take care of it.

in other news. . .

austin's surgery was to be scheduled for monday. we've been counting down the days for weeks. when he called today, they told him it wouldn't be until april. i think i was as let down by that as he was. he had notified work, etc.

he called me back a couple hours later, said the dr. office had called, seems someone had cancelled their surgery, so he was back on for wednesday. wednesday is clinic in the afternoon, so we know it will be bright and early. that is a good thing.

then he has one more to go. that is to remove the hardware that was put in place for the breaks in his arm and hand. then all surgery should be done. poor kid.

so please keep him in your prayers.

hahahahahaha

this background just cracks me up!

honestly, does it get more bizarre than this? i'm leaving it until little victoria gets to see it. she will laugh.

i took one of the rv storage compartment locks in to get a key made. the locksmith said they could make one, it would be ready sometime tomorrow. i will believe it when i have the key in my hand. it would not surprise me if the call i get tomorrow is "well, we tried, but it's a bit off and we can't make one afterall." that would be typical of the rv, nothing has been easy.

and yet i'm optimistic that since it is with a real rv repair place, it will be returned in top working order. i believe it will.

i also did some coupon shopping. and sold a couple of things on craigslist. i also had some time to spend in conversation with my mother. i miss talking to her and i've been busy lately. she's busier than i am, so we have to catch up when we can.

tomorrow is another workday on the cabinet doors and drawers. i'm looking forward to that. i'd like to get them all sanded, i can always do the varnishing myself. we've got quite the set up going on now.

i need to finish that project up as i still have a gallon of "one enchanted evening" waiting in victoria's room to transform it from the baja look to the little mermaid domain. she will be thrilled when it's all done.

it's a more productive day

i almost said "better" day and then i realized there was nothing wrong with the day i had yesterday. i didn't accomplish much, but i did enjoy it and i guess that's what it's all about.

so my friend, david, came over to help me again with the refinishing of the rv doors and drawers. i must say, they are turning out beautifully and much better than i had expected. i did have to fire myself from any coarse sanding, however, as i almost sanded any sight of actual wood off one door face.

yikes!

i was relegated to the finishing sanding and varnishing. poor david is a perfectionist, and then i come along and sand the already too thin wood right off. needless to say, he agreed with my firing.

i have a couple more coats of varnish to go on, then i'll take them all back down to the rv, rehang them and pull the remainder off so we can finish the job. there is no way we can only do these.

my first thought was to do the worst ones and live with the others. no can do as the refinished ones look so much better than the existing. well, it's not like we don't have the time. and david has graciously agreed to come back down on friday so we can wrap this job up.

hey look! i'm pink.

you can tell just what my priorities are today. i actually have a lot of things to do, but very little ambition to actually accomplish anything. so i do something that is an utter waste of time and change the background on my blog.

i. suck.

and yet, it's hard to work up the energy to entertain disgust for myself. i guess that means i'm over it.

i'm hankering to go back to baja, but am torn. i really want to take a motorcycle trip, unfortunately the only one i know will go with me, doesn't ride. and i do have some things i could take back to el rosario. but i wanna ride. i wanna take a pleasure trip and see tortuga bay, scorpion bay and a few things that have caught my interest in days past that i just haven't been able to do. i think i'll throw a teaser out on a couple of riding lists and see if i can drum up any interest.

maybe i'll ride down to navojoa and take little karen the spanish bible that i promised her over a year ago. she said she has one, but it is missing genesis. i think it's important to know how it all started, don't you?

so if you think you are up to a ride, ping me!

sunday

and so i've given up the ghost on being able to make any difference in the rv at this point. we packed it off to the rv sales/service people to let the pros do their work.

and i'm more than okay with that. unfortunately, we had to drop it off before i had taken the cabinet doors off. the cabinets are in great shape, but they need to be sanded and re-varnished. they will look awesome then. so tomorrow i'll head down to the service place to pull them off. a friend of ours has volunteered to help sand and varnish. woohoo, free help!!

this morning we decided to take the back way to tucson. we wanted to visit a church family member who had a procedure done at UofA medical center.

the ride took quite a long time, but it did wonders for my mental state. . .especially once i was leading and not eating dust. heh, at one point we pulled over, i said i was darn tired of dirt. that's when we decided i would lead. it was quite a different ride, and quite pleasant from there on out.

i noticed a bit of surging in second gear in particular. by the time we reached home, it was very noticeable in first, second and third. we initially thought it had something to do with the mapping, but upon inspection, realized the chain was shagged and the sprocket teeth were bent. yikes! good thing i didn't know that when i was heading down the freeway at 80 mph.

i'm tired tonight. a good tired. we had a great workout, saw some beautiful countryside and a wonderful friend. it was a good day.