Tired of it all!

You know what I'm tired of? Having a lot of things to do, and still not being 100% sure on what to write about! :) Bet you thought it was something else, huh?! ;-)
Well dear reader(s...if there are two of you), things are pretty good right now.

After making my decision about school, things have lifted off my shoulders. I realize that I am able to be content with my life here as The REAL Housewife of Snohomish County and that things will be okay. I'm allowed to be content with the fact that my husband, my dogs, my home, and my volunteer work are actually able to sustain me and keep me going. I realize that I'm allowed to be content with the fact that right now isn't the time for me to go back to school, and that just because I'm not going back now doesn't mean I'll never go back.

I'm sitting on the couch right now, the dogs just finished breakfast and are sitting on their bed licking each other like they are mother/puppy. I love my life, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love my life. And I am going to allow myself to love it and be okay with it. I worry too much about what people say, and I shouldn't. So from this point forward I'm going to allow people to say and think what they will, but it will be just like that old kids' saying, "I'm rubber and you're glue! Whatever you say bounces off of me and sticks to you!" **tongue sticking out**  Man, that made me feel better!

So on to better things! My family is in town and it has definitely been a busy week. We spent most of the day yesterday with my dad, step mom and grandmother. We picked them up in Edmonds, drove to the outlet malls in Marysville, had lunch at Red Mill in Phinney Ridge, drove to some Scandinavian Shop in Ballard so they could get Horn Salt for baking, then to Mercer Island to visit with Grandma's cousin who is 92 years old. Then we headed back to Edmonds finally around 4:30 PM...right in the height of traffic. But we made it back to Edmonds and then we came home and crashed on the couch!

Our visit with Gwen was so great. First of all, she was just so excited that she had THREE men in her apartment, and she said that all her widow friends were going to be so jealous! We sat at the table she had set, and had coffee and other snacks. I so adore listening to people when they talk about stories from their life. I truly believe that is one thing my generation and the generations after me don't appreciate is the wisdom and the life experience the people before us have to offer. Gwen and Grandma talked about growing up, and how hard things were. We learned about carbide lamps and that it was how they got lights into their houses when they were little. And how during the depression no one asked what their wages were going to be, they were just happy they had a job! They knew they'd be lucky if they made a dollar a day, but they were happy none the less. Times really have changed, and it's sad that people now do not have those same values and work ethic that were the foundation of this country. Kids now want everything handed to them, and don't know the meaning of hard work.

For being 92 years old, Gwen was sharp as a tack. She had this air about her that made you want to sit and listen for hours. And she had a wonderful sense of humor that had us all chuckling while taking sips of coffee. The fact that she had three men sitting around her table drinking coffee out of fancy tea cups proved to be quite humorous for her, and my step mom took a picture to commemorate the occasion. I'm glad she did. I have to say that I'd love to spend more time with Gwen, I'd love to hear her stories and all about her life. I feel bad when any elderly person says now, "Thanks for spending time with a little old lady, I'm sure you could have found something better to do." Because to me, those times are valuable, they teach me about a way of life that will never be again. Her generation has seen so much change. She moved to Seattle in the 1940's and I can only imagine the changes she saw happen before her eyes.

I know this post is nothing like any of the others, but I had such a great day yesterday and spending that little bit of time with Gwen was something that really made a big impact. Gwen and her generation are a living testament to what our culture and our people used to be like in this country. I wonder if we'll ever get to a point where we can be proud of the work we do and go to bed tired after a hard day's work. I also hope that people will realize how important these generations are and to glean as much experience, knowledge and wisdom from them before they are gone. As Gladys from Texas would say, "Keep on, keepin' on!"