Notes on Life #5

Patrick's 50th Birthday Party

Patrick is 50!

Patrick turned 50 on September 19th and we celebrated the occasion with some good friends and family. We turned the Route 66 into our theme, hired a fantastic local band, Legal Addiction, and enjoyed some delicious BBQ compliments to Dave Schmidt and Pat Kennealy. Patrick's family came out from Denver, and it was a great spending time with them.

The Timmons'/Westerberg Clan (hey, where is Erica?)

Dave

Pat & Jennifer

A Great Band!

A big thanks to Pat and Dave for the great BBQ, Karlin for the fantastic photos Jen, Charlotte & the Timmons'/Westerberg Clan for helping set up and clean up! Such a great night we will always remember the great company!

On a turning 50 note, Patrick was so excited he was turning 50 that he didn't wait for AARP to invite him, he went online and joined. I'm not sure what possessed him, but he has checked out all the AARP discounts and is quite excited. Yeah, I told him, "you are total old man status now."

Girl Scouts, CSAW and Managing Priorities...

I've been active in Girl Scouts for near 20 years, it started when Corrinne was in 1st grade and she came home from school asking to become a Brownie Girl Scout because "I want to wear one of those brown vests with the patches." Yes, my near 20 years of volunteering started because my fashion conscious daughter want to wear the uniform. My suspicion is that you know of my involvement in Girl Scouts either because you too are involved or because in some way I've involved you... often through purchasing cookies.

I've had three troops throughout these 20 years, one with Corrinne, one with Caitlin and my current troop of high school girls of which I have no kids of my own. Caitlin's troop just bridged to adult and all headed off to college in June, it was very bittersweet. There are seven young ladies that stuck with it through high school. At the end of the year the girls sent me an email to say that they wanted all the remaining troop funds donated to the ALS Association to help find a cure. I am still touched by the sentiment.

Throughout the years I've had some great times with the girls. About seven years ago me and a couple dear friends, Jen Kootstra & Amber Palmer started a Girl Scout Weekend for scouts 7 grade and over (now called "CSAW Weekend"). This weekend started with about 25 girls/15 adults, fast forward to today and we now average around 110 girls/50 adults. It is one of my favorite weekends of the year. 

Me & Jen Kootstra

Unfortunately, with all the challenges in our lives, I was not sure how much I could contribute to the weekend or even if I would be able to attend. As a caregiver, I have to make choices on how I spend my time, it’s not as easy to take off as it use to be, so it must be worth the effort. So I gave serious consideration to how important the weekend event was and I realized that although I've had to give up some activities this was one I'd like to continue to attend.

With that in mind, I worked out a plan to attend some of CSAW by driving to and from Camp Bothin each day and not spending the night. Although I missed the campfire Saturday night, this worked out fine, with Patrick joining me Friday night on my drive.

CSAW was wonderful this year and I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Jen Kootstra, because without her it would not have happened. She worked hard and never complained about my flaky involvement. Jen, you are a good friend and IOU much more than I could ever repay...
 

As an added treat this year, two of my former scouts, Amanda Smith & Bianca Canthal, from Troop 1357, now in college, came to the weekend and managed the ever popular cupcake wars. These ladies have attended every CSAW (Cadette, Senior, Ambassador Weekend) since it started.

The ALS Walk

Vaughn, Patrick & Al

The ALS Walk took place on October 5 at Raley Field. It was quite an experience with so many people coming out to support their friends and family impacted by this dreadful disease. It was truly a day of camaraderie and support. 

For those of you who joined us, thanks for coming out and walking for a great cause. For all of you who made donations, thanks for your support. We were so thrilled with the amount of support from everyone.

The association provides a valuable service to ALS patients and their families. You can be confident in knowing that your contribution is well used and that patients and families are directly impacted by your generosity.

For the record... Team Timmons' raised $34,842.47 for the Association and contributed to this being one of the most successful years for the ALS Association. Their goal was $250,000 and they exceeded it by over $30,000.

So, make a note for next year's walk, I hope to see all of you again - we'll have cool new t-shirts, lots of fun fundraising events and the opportunity to put your sneakers on and get some exercise. I'll keep you posted on the date.

Here is a link so you can check out the photos from the walk... walk photos

Little Moments of Late...

Christian & Charlotte

As you know, our grandson, Christian, is quite the Casanova, in fact it's been said that he has a lady in every port. Yes, he's five but already so charming. Well, his worlds collided recently when we were attending his brother Anthony's 9th birthday party and because of the guest list, Christian found himself with many of his closest friends all in one place. He did pretty well with all his lady friends, but there were some tears with one young lady, who cried to her mom, "he doesn't like me and wants to play with someone else." The future will be interesting...

Anthony as Michael Jackson

Our grandson, Anthony, has developed a small obsession for all things Michael Jackson. He's constantly singing his songs, and mimicking his dance moves. He does a pretty good job too. Well for his birthday, mom found a Michael Jackson jacket as well as other items. This is how he showed up for dinner the other night.  It's quite a look...

Caitlin is attending Sierra College and taking the usual GE classes. She decided at the last minute to take Art Sculpture to cover her art requirement. A few details about Caitlin, she is a huge art lover, but had a poor experience with her high school art teacher. Years back we took her to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and literally we had to drag her out - she was absolutely entranced with everything art.

I was excited that she again was trying her hand at art - although truth be told, you don't have to be a great artist to appreciate art. Patrick and I think she should become a museum curator someday, anyway I digress... She really seems to be enjoying the art sculpture class and came home with "Marty McFly" this week - which she made from wire. Christian was so impressed he told her, "Caitlin you're a real artist..." So here is our latest addition...

"Marty McFly"

Blue Shield Parties, Gifts and Trips

The Blue Shield employees held a nice going away party for Patrick right before his final day. As always it was great to meet some of the folks he worked with for such a long time. They presented Patrick with a goodbye gift that included a couple carebears (which he actually had me place in our bookcase) and American Express gift cards that they asked we use to take our next trip. 

Blue Shield Party Folks

Well, we've decided to use the money to visit an old haunt of ours, the Northern California coast. During our first few years of marriage, we were pretty broke, so vacations were limited to places cheap and nearby. We found this old hotel on the north coast in Gualala, the Gualala Hotel (apparently it is now for sale - it can be yours for 1.8 million). I don't think we'll be staying at the old hotel, but we've located a couple vacation homes to rent for a few days in December. Our plan is to play some Yahtzee, drink a little wine and enjoy the view. Should be wonderful - a huge thanks to all of the Blue Shielders, we'll drink a toast to you.

The Holidays

We received the first ALS diagnosis for Patrick about a week prior to Thanksgiving last year. Yep, Thanksgiving was a bust... Then we received the second opinion a week prior to Christmas. Yep, Christmas was a bust... It was not a great period of time. Now, you have to understand something about me, I absolutely LOVE the holidays, so for me to be bah humbug last year was really out of character but it was definitely a sad time - the shock of the initial diagnosis is awful and my heart goes out to anyone who has gotten such painful news.

 

However, this year I am back in the spirit again (hey, live in the moment). So, while everyone complains that the Christmas decorations are up in a store already in October - I'm saying "Woo Hoo." I know what you're thinking, she's one of "those" people. That's true enough, I confess. Really, I'm a big kid at heart, it's not the gifting part, that's not it. It's just the feel of it. I love all the visuals from Christmas lights on the homes, the religious stories, the music, the decorations, Christmas movies and all the great smells. 

 

Probably one of my favorite things is that acts of charity abound. I don't think that folks are necessarily nicer during the holidays, but I do think it is the time of year when we look beyond ourselves and consider the needs of others. So, we'll be doing our annual charity this year with stockings to the needy.

 

On a separate holiday note, I've been on a quest of late to buy a big blow up turkey for Thanksgiving to put in our yard. Can you believe it, it's November 9th and I haven't been able to locate one and the one's online seem expensive. If you're wondering if Patrick also wants a blow-up turkey in the yard, well let's just say he's spent the better part of 30 years humoring me. So, he's joined me in my quest and I've ignored his comments about how it would only be up for two weeks. In my opinion, that would be more than worth the effort, don't you think?

My forecast is that this is going to be a wonderful holiday, and I know it's early but, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy Hanukkah!
 

Being Thankful
I enjoy Facebook, it's my guilty pleasure, I admit I like seeing all the happenings and photos of everyone's family and the often corny "words of wisdom" that get posted. Best of all, I like seeing my daughter's photos of the grand kids. I've noticed that every year in November people post items they are thankful for on a daily basis. I'll be honest, I've not felt very thankful in the past year. So posting a thankful item each day was not something I really considered, mostly because my thoughts are often riddled with sarcasm and probably wouldn't be appreciated.

 

However, I did have a friend, Charlotte who recently challenged my thoughts of being thankful of late and I've spent the past couple weeks reconciling her words in my head. 

With an ALS diagnosis, "lucky" isn't something I've really considered, instead mostly I think we've been pretty unlucky. Yeah, sometimes I feel "ripped off." So, I was a little surprised when Charlotte, said to me, "I want to thank you for inviting me to Patrick's birthday party, I was thinking if you take "ALS" out of your situation you are truly one of the luckiest people I know." I've thought about her comment a number of times, I don't think I'm "lucky," unlike Lou Gehrig, but I do think I still have much to be thankful for.  So Lord here is my list...

I am thankful for my husband and the moments we've shared and continue to share;

I am thankful that the disease moves slowly in Patrick and that we have this time to be together;

I am thankful for two wonderful daughters that make our lives richer and fuller;

I am thankful for grandchildren that fill our lives full of wonder and laughter;

I am thankful for family, good friends and our fellow ALS patients that remind us that we are not alone and touch us with their strength and kindnesses; and finally

I am thankful for the day, and that within it we can find the beauty and joy in the moment.

Enjoy the holidays my friends and keep a look out for a giant blow-up turkey (it's what everyone needs and if you find it cheap, drop me a note.)

Things to look forward to...

November, Polar Express Ride (annual tradition with the grandkids)
November, Thanksgiving

December, North Coast Trip

December, Christmas

January, Disneyland Vacation with family