First, please allow me to apologize for what may be disjointed blogging. As you will see, I have a good reason for my lack of… can’t think of the word! Going to ask someone for help thinking of a word… eloquence.
On December 7th I had promised you a blog and on December 8th I was home alone with my toddler diligently blogging when my vision exploded and then went black. I awoke to my toddler frantically calling out to me and bringing me toys. I only blacked out for a second but the incredible pain in my head told me I needed to call my husband right away. Trying to call up his number when I could not focus my eyes and trying to calm a hysterical toddler was not the easiest task I had undertaken. With a bag of peas clutched to my head we made our way to the Med7 only to be told that they felt that I had a concussion and that I had to go to the hospital emergency room. Two hours later I was diagnosed with a concussion and urged not to exercise, lift objects or make important decisions for the next week and to expect the symptoms to last several weeks. I was not to be left alone for 24 hours.
My husband drove up to Oroville to bring (back) down my oldest daughter and her boyfriend so they could help take care of Jax and me.( Morgan had just been down visiting for her birthday but you will read about that later.) What a blessing they have been and a very tough time in our lives has been filled with a light of joy for all of us by having them here. I will be posting another update blog of what has happened to us since the emergency room visit but first I wanted to at least publish the December 8th BLOG, Interupted…
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| Chris with angel electrician Paul Marquardt |
POWER ON!
My biggest concern before moving the family in was safe electricity. Ever heard of “Knob and Tube”? I had no clue what it was until the walls were opened up and I saw the ancient electrical system slithering its way through our walls. It was going to take a complete re-do of the electrical system and that was an expensive prospect but one we knew we needed to have 100% professionally done. We obtained many quotes and they fell in the range of between $4,000 and $7,000. We found out about Paul Marquardt through Inside East Sacramento and after talking with him he agreed to do the work for us at a FREAKISHLY HUGE discount. It was still a significant chunk of money but the work that Paul has done is stunning. (Was it the hot chicken melt I made him for lunch?) All of our power needs are met, everything is up to code and the work is tight and tidy. The relief that I feel knowing that Paul is part of our barn-raising family now is beyond words. Thanks Paul!
My biggest concern before moving the family in was safe electricity. Ever heard of “Knob and Tube”? I had no clue what it was until the walls were opened up and I saw the ancient electrical system slithering its way through our walls. It was going to take a complete re-do of the electrical system and that was an expensive prospect but one we knew we needed to have 100% professionally done. We obtained many quotes and they fell in the range of between $4,000 and $7,000. We found out about Paul Marquardt through Inside East Sacramento and after talking with him he agreed to do the work for us at a FREAKISHLY HUGE discount. It was still a significant chunk of money but the work that Paul has done is stunning. (Was it the hot chicken melt I made him for lunch?) All of our power needs are met, everything is up to code and the work is tight and tidy. The relief that I feel knowing that Paul is part of our barn-raising family now is beyond words. Thanks Paul!
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| Meet Nick. Ok we need a better picture of Nick. |
In the Nick of Time
We have lost some volunteers who have had to return to their busy lives but we have had one special young man come in and blow us away with how strong, capable and dedicated he is. Nick was one of my tai chi students when I taught free tai chi in the park in Folsom. In the past two weeks Nick has spent several days a week, all day, helping us. Despite his youth – he is on the cusp of twenty years old- he has a surprising amount of skill and experience from working with his father and has quickly become one of our most amazing volunteers. (He hasn’t quite tied with Justin yet though. ;-) Nick, we are so lucky to have your help when we need it the most!
We have lost some volunteers who have had to return to their busy lives but we have had one special young man come in and blow us away with how strong, capable and dedicated he is. Nick was one of my tai chi students when I taught free tai chi in the park in Folsom. In the past two weeks Nick has spent several days a week, all day, helping us. Despite his youth – he is on the cusp of twenty years old- he has a surprising amount of skill and experience from working with his father and has quickly become one of our most amazing volunteers. (He hasn’t quite tied with Justin yet though. ;-) Nick, we are so lucky to have your help when we need it the most!
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| Flying Eagle, our "foreman". |
Sometimes Giving of Oneself When There is little to Give Is the Right Thing to do!
Okay, one of the guilty pleasures of having a blog is being a bit wicked and wallowing in a little “I told you so!” once in a great while. I had a lot of people treat me like I was not thinking too smart when I offered to teach tai chi for free in the park last spring. I was still trying to recover my strength and time and money was precious. I was told to either not teach or that I should charge for the classes and I refused to do either. I was called foolish for giving of myself when there was little to give. To quiet the criticism I insisted that doing all of this was strictly selfish as my students were the ones that kept me doing tai chi even when I felt too weak, something that made me stronger and stronger as the months passed by. (Besides it is something that both my daughters would do with me as well and I really enjoyed that.) It was only through these classes that I met and befriended amazing folks like Flying Eagle and Nick. Without Flying Eagle THIS PROJECT WOULD NEVER HAVE WORKED and Nick has been such an amazing help! I may have people reprimand me for giving of myself but I will never regret it in my heart.
Okay, one of the guilty pleasures of having a blog is being a bit wicked and wallowing in a little “I told you so!” once in a great while. I had a lot of people treat me like I was not thinking too smart when I offered to teach tai chi for free in the park last spring. I was still trying to recover my strength and time and money was precious. I was told to either not teach or that I should charge for the classes and I refused to do either. I was called foolish for giving of myself when there was little to give. To quiet the criticism I insisted that doing all of this was strictly selfish as my students were the ones that kept me doing tai chi even when I felt too weak, something that made me stronger and stronger as the months passed by. (Besides it is something that both my daughters would do with me as well and I really enjoyed that.) It was only through these classes that I met and befriended amazing folks like Flying Eagle and Nick. Without Flying Eagle THIS PROJECT WOULD NEVER HAVE WORKED and Nick has been such an amazing help! I may have people reprimand me for giving of myself but I will never regret it in my heart.
Happy, Happy, Happy 19th Birthday Morgan!
Yes, folks. I am now the mother of a nineteen year old daughter! (I know, I know… I look WAY too fabulous to be old enough to have a teenage daughter but yet I do! I attribute my dazzlingly youthful beauty to my Paiute bloodline. ;-) With funds tight and a crazy schedule it was going to be tough to sneak in a birthday party but despite all that and a migraine the size of New York we pulled it off with Becky and Leah’s help. We had the party at Becky and Leah’s house, with Leah using her artistic skill to decorate while the kids and I whisked Morgan away to McKinley Park to feed squirrels and ducks. You may not think that this is what a nineteen year old wants to do on her birthday but it has a special meaning for her and I. When she was little she always loved going to the park (either McKinley, East Portal or Capitol) to feed the squirrels. Oh, the stories we can tell. (Imagine undulating waves of winter-starved squirrels racing towards you while you drop your bag of peanuts, grab your daughter’s hand and make a run for the safety of your vehicle!) It wasn’t an expensive birthday –although we did splurge on our traditional lemon cake from New Roma- it certainly won’t make MTV any time soon, but it was full of love and laughter and goofiness and it was wonderful. (Special thanks to Robert for letting us borrow Morgan!)
Yes, folks. I am now the mother of a nineteen year old daughter! (I know, I know… I look WAY too fabulous to be old enough to have a teenage daughter but yet I do! I attribute my dazzlingly youthful beauty to my Paiute bloodline. ;-) With funds tight and a crazy schedule it was going to be tough to sneak in a birthday party but despite all that and a migraine the size of New York we pulled it off with Becky and Leah’s help. We had the party at Becky and Leah’s house, with Leah using her artistic skill to decorate while the kids and I whisked Morgan away to McKinley Park to feed squirrels and ducks. You may not think that this is what a nineteen year old wants to do on her birthday but it has a special meaning for her and I. When she was little she always loved going to the park (either McKinley, East Portal or Capitol) to feed the squirrels. Oh, the stories we can tell. (Imagine undulating waves of winter-starved squirrels racing towards you while you drop your bag of peanuts, grab your daughter’s hand and make a run for the safety of your vehicle!) It wasn’t an expensive birthday –although we did splurge on our traditional lemon cake from New Roma- it certainly won’t make MTV any time soon, but it was full of love and laughter and goofiness and it was wonderful. (Special thanks to Robert for letting us borrow Morgan!)
Acts of Service
When my husband and I had dated for a while (I think around “Date 11”) Chris gave me a book and asked me to read it and take the quiz in the back. It was “The Five Love Languages” and at that moment I knew this was the man I was going to marry. That was almost six years ago and I have never felt more loved in my life and we both refer back to the book as a guide in our relationships.
When my husband and I had dated for a while (I think around “Date 11”) Chris gave me a book and asked me to read it and take the quiz in the back. It was “The Five Love Languages” and at that moment I knew this was the man I was going to marry. That was almost six years ago and I have never felt more loved in my life and we both refer back to the book as a guide in our relationships.
The love languages in this book include: “Words of Affirmation”, “Quality Time”, “Receiving Gifts”, “Physical Touch”, and “Acts of Service” as a way to show someone you appreciate them. I not only apply these concepts to showing my family what they mean to me but to our friends and volunteers as well. While I was helping Becky rake her lawn she mentioned how tight her time is and how there are so many tasks around the house she isn’t able to devote a lot of time to. With the kids and I spending several days a week at her home, often from early morning to night as Chris and our volunteers worked, I really felt a strong desire to repay her hospitality with what I thought she may need most: Acts of Service.
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| Scrubbing Becky's counters. |
First, I always try to make sure that I leave her house as clean as I found it. With me sometimes spending all day there with one or more kids I decided to make good use of that time and go one step further: I detailed her kitchen. Jax was an eager if not incredibly efficient helper as together we scrubbed tile, cabinets, floors and appliances. It took all day (Jax enjoyed an extra long nap-break and my efficiency improved tremendously then) but [end December 8th blog to rush off to Emergency Room]
[Back to December 20th] I am pretty exhausted just from writing the brief intro to this blog but I plan to have more up later today or tomorrow with help from my family. Click back in soon for more pictures, more updates and more of our barn raising saga
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