Well, the day is nearly upon us! But before I clarify that statement, I first want to apologize to all my readers who may have received notifications about blog posts that were basically TEST postings. I’ve not been overly satisfied with Google Feedburner’s email notifications. Those are limited to those who subscribe and go through all the rigamarole of acknowledgements. But I know in the past numerous people read my blog because they received notification via Twitter or Facebook that there was a new post.

Then, about a year ago, I was digging around under the hood of my WordPress sportster and apparently cut the wrong cable or something, because those posts stopped going out to Twitter and Facebook.

No big deal, I thought. But, as I indicate it IS a big deal because people who used to enjoy reading my blogs no longer can. That has made me a bit unhappy! When I went to reconnect those wires (you do understand there are no wires, I’m speaking rhetorically, right?) I can’t find where that setting was.

I’ve had to download and install two plugins, “Simple Facebook Connect” and “Simple Twitter Connect”. Except those are anything BUT simple! They basically have lines like “Just download and activate!” Except they don’t tell you that between downloading, activating, and getting it to work is another HUGE list of steps one must go through!

So, that explains all the tests. You may have gotten none of them, and if so great! Or you may have just seen one or two. If so, I AM sorry. About 20 went out; if anyone received all 20, oops. MY BAD and I am really, really, REALLY sorry!

But, I think I’m done, now!

Okay, now on to the really big news! We are only 2 days away from our takeoff to England! I didn’t want to post the dates until I had a few more arrangements made, but as of this evening, our dear friends David & Tony are now ensconced in our guest room! They’ll be house sitting for us in our absence! Yay! And Nikki and Ixchel will be taken to the home of our friends Cindy & Juline tomorrow night where they shall frolic with 4 other puppies for the next two weeks!

As usual, it is my hope to post here on a near daily basis, a sort of travelogue describing our trip. Scott and I plan on taking about a million photos, and those will be posted as close to daily as we can at:

www.scottneric.com/photoalbums/england-2012

So check both our blog and our photo album out daily!

To quote my hero, “Sayonara, babyyyyy!”

Well, I missed a week.  What can I say?  Last week, the creativity juices were just not flowing!  I was reading other peoples’ creativity, but not only could I not think of anything to write, I had a bit of a problem wanting to write.  Sigh.  And I’m told I should be a writer.  A VERY hungry writer.

And so, I guess this is a good week for snippets, again!

Several months ago, I mentioned that we were planning on visiting England this year.  That trip approaches!  One of the problems we’ve had to face is our pets.  In years past Scott and I could just pick up and travel, and we had built in dog sitting.  But no more.  Not since Gary moved to Portland, OR.  In January, when we left, we arranged for a house sitter to come take care of our house and Princess Nikki.   The sitter worked like a charm!  For the house, that is.  Our little timid Princess crawled under the bed and refused to come out to pee, poop, eat or drink while the sitter was in the house.  So, after we got back she was sick for a week (well, a little indisposed, not sick really.)

In March, when we went to Oklahoma City for the weekend, we took our lady to the vet, figuring they at least would be able to assist her.  She came home with poop in her fur, so we had to get her groomed.  I’m not thinking I like that arrangement.  I LOVE our vet, but not as a boarding option.

So, last weekend (Easter Weekend) we arranged with the couple that takes care of our dachshund, Ixhel, to doggy-sit both Ixchel and Nikki just as a trial (even though we stayed in town.)  Worked like a charm!  Magnificent!  We’re taking them back for another trial run this coming weekend for 3 days.  If this works, then when we go to England we have this covered.

But last week worked even better than as just a sitting arrangement.  Princess Nikki has always, for 9 years now, slept next to me on the sofa in the evening.  But when Ixchel came to live with us, Nikki stopped.  She would not share the sofa, and let Ixchel win.  I think that’s because Ixchel initially attempted to nurse from Nikki and Nikki would have NONE of THAT.  Our friends who took care of Nikki 2 weekends ago have 4 dogs of their own.  Nikki loved it.  AND, after returning home is now much more willing to share space with Ixchel!  I love having my hip warmer back by my side!

So, for England, it’s looking like our house-sitter will come stay at the house just so it’s not left alone, and our dogs will go stay with our dog-sitters!  Yay!

In other news, I’m sure everyone who reads my blog is aware of the horrible storms that blew through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa over the weekend!  Regarding the tornados, over 126 hit on Saturday, but we were so blessed that none of them were in Omaha or Council Bluffs!  Though one DID strike about 15 miles east of us, out in farm-land.

But we had a deluge, and strong winds at home.  If you go back a few weeks you’ll read about the BIG $$$ we spent getting our basement waterproofed.  The whole south wall was treated.  And about 5 feet of the East wall.  There are two windows on the east wall, one about 7 feet from the south wall.  We moved all our shelving off the south wall when the work was done, and it was moved to about 7 feel from that wall, along the East wall.  In front of that window… Fortunately, we put it about 3 feet from the window.

Guess what?!?!?!  The rain water poured off our roof, rand down our back yard, and filled the window well of both windows along the east wall!  Both windows leaked.  A lot.  And as we were attempting to clean up the basement all of a sudden we realized… we have a new water feature in our back yard!  Well, not really in the back yard.  Actually the back yard is part of the water feature.  It feeds the water from all point to a point directly in front of that window in our basement… and from that water well, the water SHOOTS into our basement!  You got it… just over 4 feet straight out from the window… right onto the shelves!

Scott and I spent HOURS hand wiping down ever item in every box on those shelves, all while watching the basement floor fill up with 2+ inches of water!  That’s about 240 square feet of basement 2, maybe 3, inches deep.

I should probably add… the dehumidifier could NOT keep up!

And that, dear friends, was OUR weekend!

Gosh, over a week since I wrote last.  Lots of “newslets” but nothing really serious to write about!  So, I guess I did not succeed at my hope of writing daily through Lent.  Sigh.

So, let’s go over some of those “newslets” (small newsy type items).  I’m getting a triple root canal today.  One tooth, 3 nerve channels, 2 of which will be “difficult to drill” – so says my endodontist.  Oh happy day.

Of course, the Heartland, where I live, is known for its wicked winters, bitter cold, snow, wind, grey skies.  It’s why Scott and I are so excited about our move to New Mexico next year.  This winter, I just don’t know if it’ll ever end!  We’re suffering through bitter, 80 degree days in early March, gentle balmy breezes, sunlit skies.  Oh, the misery.

This is the year that Scott and I do major house work.  Not the dusting and window-washing.  The “install sump pump in basement ($3000), shore up soon to collapse rear retaining wall (was $3000, now looks closer to $6000), shore up sagging soon to collapse HOUSE ($6000), paint exterior of house (eh, never mind the cost – you really don’t want to know)” kind of house work!  Oh, and then, once THAT all is done, we can start on the infamous bathroom!  Actually, the bathroom is only waiting on the sagging house repair.

Yeah, about the sagging house.  Ever since we moved in, some doors in our house just do not close!  Someone suggested we just shave down the door… well, in at least one case, that shaving would have to be 1/2 inch!  Last September the engineer took a precursory glance and said “Oh, just jack it up here and here… it’s easy.”  I kept looking at it and thinking “this just isn’t right.  If the sag is HERE where he says, why is their no weight, whatsoever, on this support post that is right here at the same place?”  Finally after looking and looking and looking at the basement, Scott and I figured out the sag and had the engineer back.  He started humming and hawing and oh-mying.  “How old is this house?”  “92 years?  Really?  It should have collapsed during the building phase!”

Yup, looking at the basement we can see major stress points with NO support under them, whatsoever!  It turns out that first of all, we need EIGHT new jack supports in the basement, not two, and secondly, when they put in the sump pump they discovered that our concrete basement floor is only 2 inches thick!  Had we jacked up the basement where he initially told us to, it wouldn’t have supported the weight!  Hence the huge amount of work, and the huge cost accompanying it.

Did I mention I’m getting a bit of dental work done today?

Did I mention that it’s going to be 80 degrees out today (2nd day in a row)?

After three days on the road, we arrived in Palm Springs, California.  In those days, it was customary for the host location for these meetings to provide housing for those travelling, whether to ATG (All Team Gathering), EC Meetings, Suitcase Team members, or whatever.  On some occasions, various members might opt to stay in motels or hotels, but the option to stay with local people was almost always available.  I have met some most wonderful people in our travels.

The home we stayed at in Palm Springs was built in the early to mid-fifties, if I recall correctly.  Nothing unusual about that, but what WAS unusual was that here we were in 2000, and the home was decorated in retro-fifties style furnishings.  They were totally cool (if a bit uncomfortable to me).  Scott loved them!  Even today, 12 years later, Scott still talks about those furnishings, especially when we see similar items on TV or in a furniture store, or what-not!  What I especially remember was that the backyard was sloped up away from the house, just a little, and about 25 feet up this slope was a jacuzzi for two!  A hot tub!  Scott loves 50′s architecture and furnishings.  I adore hot tubs!  And since this was January, and we’d had a snow storm impeding our progress our first day of our trip, that hot tub was MOST inviting!  I spent a lot of time out there the two nights we were there.

The other thing I recall was the home of Rev. Pelletier  I recall entering through a hallway to a great room, or perhaps an open layout room that was tiled not with ceramic tile but with slate.  The back wall was all glass doors, which could be opened out onto a lanai, edged with stone fronted seating (sculpted to look almost natural)  I believe there was a water feature of some nature out there.  It was a most motivational place for us to meet and discuss the business of Excel!  We could sit outside in the cool, refreshing air, while at the same time sheltered above from the full force of a Palm Springs sun (even though it WAS winter).  I remember a great number of us gathered around the tables chatting about various bylaws and efforts we were undertaking.  In those days (and I do not believe anything has changed) anyone was welcome to sit in on our EC meetings.  We did from time to time, I think, have need of an “Executive Session” when guests would be asked to excuse us to discuss some issue of private nature.  One such was when we had to decide to do the UNTHINKABLE… discipline a team.

An aside, here.  In 2000, my parents lived in San Juan Capistrano, which is in the southern part of Orange County.  I wanted to visit them while we were in California, but our week was so packed with things, that there was just no way.  Instead, Mom & Dad drove up to Palm Springs on Thursday (or maybe it was Wednesday), and Karla, Scott and I spent the evening with them, wandering around downtown Palm Springs, then finding someplace to eat.  Later, back at their motel, we transferred some belongings from their car to my van.  With what we had brought with us on our trip, and what they brought from San Juan Cap. our van was full for the drive back to Omaha!  The visit was a bittersweet one, too.  This was the first time Mom & Dad had met Scott.  In 1996, when I came out to Mom & Dad (unfortunately over the telephone, long distance from Indiana) Mom had firmly told me that they never, ever wanted to meet any of my “boyfriends or whatever you call them”.  At the time of our visit in Palm Springs, our relationship was still very strained.  While I know they knew Scott was my “boyfriend or whatever”, we just didn’t address the topic, other than “This is Scott, Scott, this is my mom & dad”.  The memory of this night still has power to sadden me, even today, and as I write, I feel tears threatening.  The truth is, the years from 1996 to 2003 are lost and I can’t have them back, at least as far as my relationship with Mom & Dad is concerned.  But in 2003 when Mom & Dad moved back to Council Bluffs, I refused to allow their attitude to impede my relationship with Scott.  In short order, Mom & Dad fell for Scott almost as deeply as I had.  Now, ahem, back to the story!

On Friday, we wrapped up our meeting, and departed for Wrightwood, CA.   I wish that I could remember the name of the facility at which we held that Southlands Excel Weekend.  It was perhaps one of the most beautiful of sites for an Excel weekend! But then, I’ve always loved mountains and pine trees, and cool, dry mountain air.  The smell of pine needles in the sun, and being crushed underfoot as one walks…  I know I had a great weekend there!  I remember a reference made in one of the talks about people “armed with KJV Assault Bibles the size of a suitcase!”  I remember, too, that the locals and my fellow EC members from the more southern climes had a lot of problems, complaining about the severe cold!  For those of us from Nebraska/Iowa it was not so bad (except, I suspect for Karla, who even though she’s a veteran of the deadly Nebraska winter, get’s cold anytime the temperature drops below 85 – just kidding, Karla!!!!)

All too soon our Excel exercise came to an end, and the Three Musketeers loaded up and headed for home!  I remember that first day, I was determined we would make it to Arizona!  Normally this would not be a problem but the weekend officially didn’t end until after 4 pm!  Our drive took us north from Wrightwood through Victorville to I40 in Barstow.  I remember much of the drive, especially once we left the mountains, how flat it was!  And people say Nebraska is flat!  (A few years later, Scott and I drove through this region, this time with my Mom & Dad in a rented RV, and once again, we were under deadline and driving far into the night!)  We eventually arrived in Kingman, and stayed in the same motel we had stayed at on our trip out a week before.

On Monday, we were up early.  Our plan was to drive as far into Colorado as possible.  We made it to Colorado Springs.  If you recall, back on the first day or so of our stay in California (see Part I) Karla, Scott & I had made a side trip to West Hollywood, to the headquarters of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (our denomination) where we had purchased a cassette tape audio series entitled “The Erotic Contemplative” with an accompanying study guide.

(In which we continue the thread of Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts about my involvement in Excel International de Colores.)

This post is 3rd in a series of posts.  Post 1 is here, and Post 2 is here.

In my earlier two posts, I was a little uncertain about some of the dates.  The “Emergency ATG” was indeed held in Houston, however it was in February 1999.  The Atlanta ATG was in September 1999.  Also, the mother I wrote about was Trudie’s mother, not Rays!  (My apologies to my friends Trudie & Ray.)

The Executive Committee met twice per year over a long weekend (Thursday night through Sunday morning.)  I believe they most frequently met in the Houston area, but there were exceptions.  Our first meeting after the Atlanta ATG when I was elected to the EC and then appointed its Chair, was held in Palm Springs, CA, at the home of the MCC Pastor there, Rev. Pelletier.

This venue had been selected because an old Excel team,  the team in the Los Angeles/Southern California area, was being reformed.  It’s name, once approved, would be Excel in the Southlands (verify accuracy).  They needed some “Suitcase Team” assistance, and they needed an evaluation team.  Who better than the EC to provide both these elements?

Let me explain those two terms.  Excel provides an “Exercise in Christian Community Living”, a three day “retreat/exercise” in the format and tradition of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement, or the “Walk to Emmaus” programs.  Each exercise is conducted by a team of volunteers that prepare for up to a year prior to each exercise.  Most of these teams are comprised of people local to the community in which the exercise is offered.  Each has a name.  For instance, the team in the Omaha area when I first got involved was called Excel of the Midlands.  There’s Excel of the Armadillo, based in Houston, Excel of the Rainbow Zebra in the south (I think it’s okay to say it’s based in Atlanta, though it has a much broader regional base than just Atlanta – many members come from Birmingham, and I believe the weekends are actually held in Alabama.)

When new teams are formed, they must be “approved” by the Executive Committee.  So, someone from the EC attends the first exercise weekend of the new team in training, and reports back to the EC.  The EC then, based on that report, either approves or disapproves the full formation of the team.

And of course, there are times when the local team just can’t quite get enough people to do each of the 9 talks, or perform other functions of the weekend.  When this occurs, the team puts out a request to the EC, who then recruits around the country from existing teams for members to travel to the location where the weekend is being held to help out.

So, back to our story!  This first “Spring” EC Meeting after I was elected was held in January of 2000.  With two of us based in the Omaha area, and of course, I would not leave Scott home alone to miss the fun, we decided to drive to California.  Initially, the plan called for us to rent an RV, however the cost proved prohibitive and we decided to drive Scott’s and my new Grand Caravan, instead.

The day of our departure coincided with a major snow storm, so we initially had to change our route.  Instead of driving to Colorado on Interstate 80, then south along Interstate 25, we chose to drive down to Kansas along US75, then take Interstate 70 to Denver.  There we were to stay with an old friend of mine, Lois Francine Smith.  Or, perhaps it was Francine Lois Smith.  Once again, time takes it’s toll, and while she was a good friend, I always just called her Lois.  It is one of my regrets that we lost contact with each other!

Our second day on the road was from Denver south on I25 to Albuquerque (with a stop in Raton… a drive-by, really, more than a stop to see where Scott had attended High School).  We had brought along apples for snacking on the road, and this proved a major problem for one of us!  The problem, as I recall it, was that poor Karla had just had oral surgery, and as a result her teeth and gums were extremely sore.  Confronted with an apple, all she could do was look on helplessly as Scott and I munched in!  Fortunately, we were able to find a cheap plastic knife, and over the course of the next 2-3 hours, Karla painstakingly carved out small bites of apple, then gingerly chewed them until she could swallow them!

From Albuquerque, we drove west on Interstate 40 to Kingman, Arizona, where we spent night number two. Our third day we dropped off the interstate system, and stopped in Lake Havasu, AZ, because I wanted to visit the London Bridge.  Yes. THE London Bridge, made famous by oh, you name it!  It was transported block by block from London, England, to the middle of NOWHERE Arizona and erected over a segment of the lake there!

Then, we crossed over through Southern California on Highway 62, through the desert regions and 29 Palms, Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley, then back east a little to Palm Springs.  I remember us just chatting away, as we came out of Parker, CA (or AZ?) flying along at probably 75 to 80 mph on this little 2 lane highway… and then AIRBORNE!

There is a segment of this highway that undulates like waves on an ocean!  Totally unaware of this, I, as driver, was caught completely by surprise as we hit the first of these little dips and became airborne as we crested the rise only to find another dip and rise on the other side.  I’m truly amazed we didn’t rip the bottom out of the van hitting these at such high speed, but eventually I managed to slow it down!

The next week we spent in meetings and attending the weekend hosted by Excel in the Southland.  There was just time in between these two events for Scott, Karla & I to make one other side-road trip… from Palm Springs to West Hollywood to the Mecca of MCC Churches in those days, the Fellowship’s HQ and “Mother Church”.  I have to confess the church was under renovation so there wasn’t a lot to see, and even the headquarters was a little underwhelming!  But it was good to visit nonetheless.  While there we bought several books, as I recall… and one tape series.  “The Erotic Contemplative” by Michael Bernard Kelly.  This would have an unforeseen repercussions!

Some weeks ago, I asked for suggestions on what to write about. My friend, Jerry, from Houston, TX, made a few suggestions. He suggested my church and it’s new property, Excel International, and my time as Chair of its EC, as well as ATG. Did you think I was ignoring you, Jerry?

First of all, I gotta tell the world this… if you need a friend, there is few truer friends on this earth than those friends I have met through Excel! And in the top most tier of those friends, is Jerry! I’ve spent some good times at his home in Houston. I should say at his HOMES in Houston. I must also state that here I refer to Houston as much as a Region as a city. For, the first home I visited Jerry at was out on Bolivar Peninsula, in Crystal Beach (if I recall correctly). Scott and I just came across some pictures of a trip we took out there years and years ago. One is a picture of Jerry’s house, and the other is of two younger Hays-Stroms on the ferry ride between Galveston and the peninsula.

Scott and I first ran into Jerry in the late 1990s at an “Emergency ATG” in Houston (the city). My memory of that time is a bit foggy now, so I do not recall the year, nor whether or not it was truly called an Emergency meeting, or even the reason. But, as I recall the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches had just defunded Excel International de Colores. We had a constitution and bylaws to write, and other steps to prepare for operating under our own recognizance. Scott and I had just become involved in Excel as the result of attending a weekend exercise in the fall of 1996 (within the very first months of our relationship. Is it possible that one reason for the strength of our love, of our relationship, is that we began it by seeking God in our lives?)

Let me backup just a little bit. When I left the seminary in the spring of 1996, Scott and I settled down together. I told him up front that God was important to me, and that I wanted to continue to go to church. Well, Scott felt the same way. Scott came from a Southern Baptist background, I from a Roman Catholic one. Neither of us felt we would feel comfortable in the other’s churches.

In my final semester in the Seminary, I had interviewed a local “District Coordinator”, what the denomination now calls Elders, about the church. I knew it could prove a compromise for us. I did not know Scott had begun attending the MCC in Omaha shortly before I returned to Omaha. I began attending in August of that year. One of the first things I did was sit down and chat with the pastor about belonging to both MCC and a Catholic Church. While there, he recommended we attend an Excel Weekend, and as it happened, there was one coming up in a couple of weeks. The church (or perhaps the Excel team) gave Scott and I a partial scholarship to attend.

Among the team was Karla Oliver from our local church, Becky W. also local, Keith Apple who was then the director of Excel International (I do apologize to those who know better if I use improper terminology) and Peg & Diane from Des Moines, IA and our sister team over there.

Also attending were Jim M. & Jerry D., who in the months to come would become dear, dear friends, and models in a way to Scott and I. They had been married for 23 or 24 years at that time.

Soon after our weekend, Scott and I walked into church and were met on the steps by Carla & Sharon (two more friends from MCC). As indicated this is 15 years ago or so, so I’m not 100% sure which one. I do know that at this point in my life, I wanted nothing more than to go to church, sit in the pew, and go home, perhaps after a brunch with some friends. Carla (or was it Sharon? Or was it both?) were determined this was not to be the case! They drafted me into some function or another. It turns out, this was our modus operandi in those days. Wait for someone to attend more than a handful of times, then POUNCE on them to draft them.

Shortly after THAT, as I walked into church, there was Peg & Diane from Des Moines. They TOO pounced on us, and soon Scott and I found ourselves drafted into the service of the Des Moines Excel team. We soon found ourselves driving back and forth between Des Moines and Omaha.

And so, now that we were involved in Excel, it wasn’t long before Karla & Becky suggested we also become involved in the local Excel Team, Excel of the Midlands. And, no sooner had we done so that we were “invited” to attend the emergency All Team Gathering in Houston in, what, 1998?

And this brings me full circle back to my friend Jerry. We met during this first trip to Houston. He was a VIP at the ATG, so I imagine he may not recall me too much from there. That weekend we all immersed ourselves in the task of writing standard operating procedures and bylaws and what not for this new ministry we were birthing. We were then to take this material back to our local teams for their buy-in and all were to join together the following summer in Atlanta for the next regularly scheduled ATG.

Here, in Atlanta, I was to meet my next Excel friend, Trudie and Ray B. And here, too, Jerry was to spring his trap!

Stay tuned for part II of this story, “The Trap is Sprung!“

Last Saturday, Ixchel saw her vet.  Does that mean we have another 6 weeks of puppy?

Not much has happened since I reported on our snowfall earlier this week.  But I promised a 2nd post to make up for not posting last week.

When we first got Ixchel we promised each other two things.  First, we’d get her microchipped and second, we’d get her spayed.  While we don’t imagine she’ll ever run free, or be allowed access to intact male dogs, accidents happen.

So, this past Friday at 8 am, we took our little lady to the veterinarian to be spayed.  While we were there we wanted to have her microchip implanted (we’d been told that the needle they use to implant was quite large and it would probably hurt her a bit, so we asked to have it done while she was anesthetized.)  The other operation we wanted done at the same time was to have her dew claws removed.  Most of our “Dachshund owning friends” had advised us to do this.  However, it turns our our veterinarian advises against it, so we chose to go along with him (actually he doesn’t advise against it so much as he recommends it only be done when the pups are REALLY young.  Apparently 6 months isn’t REALLY young.

Now, you may recall that Friday last week was the day we were waiting for snowmageddon to strike.  I called the vet, as advised, about 3 in the afternoon.

“Oh, yes, Ixchel (she pronounced it icks CHELL) came through her operation just fine!  In fact, she’s sitting up in her cage with her tail going a million miles an hour!  She’s the cutest dog here!”  Yes, of COURSE she is… she’s the cutest dog ANYWHERE… but I decided to keep that gem to myself (here I apologize to all my dog owning friends… sorry folks, I cannot tell a lie!)

“And she’ll be ready tomorrow?” I ask.

“Oh, yes.  You can pick her up anytime after 10 am.  We close at 3 pm.  But if the weather makes it too hard to get here by 3, call us.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” I say, “I’ve got a BIGOLE truck with four wheel drive… there ain’t nuttin stopping me from getting there by 10!”  I put on a bit of hill billy twang when I start talking truck… it just goes with the territory!

And so, sure ’nuff, at 10 am, Saturday morning Scott and I arrived at the Vet, ready to pick up our “little darlin’”.  We chatted about something, I honestly don’t recall what, while we waited for the techs to bring Ixchel out to us.  We had a waiting room filled with an audience by the time the technician came in to the lobby holding – I should say “attempting to hold” – Ixchel.  When she saw us, she went from placid to SQUIRMONSTER” (that’s the combination of “squirm” and “monster”, don’t'cha know?) instantaneously.  Everyone in that waiting room broke out with the giggles!  And of course, Daddy put aside his “hill billy truck talk” and went straight to little doggy-ese!

“Ooooh, how’s my yittle gurl? huh?  OOOoh, Daddy sure did mis his yittle bug!”  Okay, I’m not proud of it.  We generally keep our “Puppy talk” for the privacy of our home… but hey, this was a big deal!

She’s come through her operation with flying colors!  The incision site is not at all red or even very pink… it’s a nice healthy color!  She gets her stitches out NEXT weekend.

And all is right at the Hays-Strom household!

This post is short. It’s not part of my 2012 effort to post 1 or more posts per week (even though I have said I’d post 2 this week). This is simply news about my family.

My brother-in-law, CPT Bruce Hays was killed in Afghanistan in September, 2008. Before he deployed, he bought his wife an anniversary present, a beat up old 1959 Chevy pick-up truck. He paid a local mechanic nearly $20,000 to fix it up. The mechanic pocketed the 20k, and skipped town. The following is a story about what happened next. Be sure to view the news clip, as well!

Click here for the Las Cruces Sun-News article about this old truck, and one determined lady… my sister-in-law!

This plan is coming along much faster than I had expected!

The other day, I started looking at prices for tickets to Orlando, FL, so that I could go visit my aunt and uncle and cousin who live there.  I was startled to discover that as the spring progresses tickets get more expensive!  Scott and I haven’t flown much recently, so things may have changed.  But in the past, the further out you bought the tickets, the cheaper the fares.  Not now! I looked first at the end of February.  Tickets were around 300 each.  A week later they were $450 each!

Once I heard from Kathy today that any time would work I jumped in and bought tickets.   I was able to get the two tickets, with fees, taxes, etc., for $680.  I guess that’s a good price.  I’ve rented a car for the days we are there, as well.  So, coming up VERY VERY soon, we’re flying to Florida for a weekend just to visit my most wonderful Aunt Jeanie.  I’ve missed her!  The last time I saw her was in March 2010.

In case you wonder when we’re travelling, I must tell you that I am not going to reveal that here, until we’re either in route, or have returned.  I doubt many people read my blog, but there’s no need advertising our absences!  At least not until we’ve arranged a house-sitter.

In 2011, I turned 53.  Scott turned 49.  We’ve been together 15 years, more than a quarter of our lives shared in common pursuit of happiness, forging a common bond.

For much of that time, we’ve shared our home with others.  After living for two years in apartments in West Omaha, we moved into a house in Council Bluffs with 3 other individuals.  Jim, Pam and Gary became part of our family.  Much too soon after we moved in, Jim passed away from a heart attack.  Four years later on, Pam passed away, the result of her body’s inability to process carbon dioxide in her system (she frequently turned off her oxygen bottle in order to have a cigarette.)

And now the end of this arrangement is upon us.  On Saturday, Gary will be moving to Portland to be close to his nieces and what family he has.  I’d like to say it was an amicable parting, and we are really working to make it as amicable as possible.  Unfortunately, this is occurring because there was just no way we could continue to provide Gary a home.

For an arrangement like the one we all had to work, there has to be mutual trust and respect.  Over the past year, that has been slowly eroding.  I am tempted to go in to the reasons for this, but I think it best to leave it at that.  We no longer feel comfortable keeping Gary in our home.

On top of this, we need to prepare to sell our home, and having Gary in the house will impede that progress.

I’m glad Gary is leaving.  But a part of me is sad, too.  13 years we’ve shared a home and our lives, that’s 25% of our lives (almost).  It’s hard to say goodbye.

But more so, I’m looking forward to no longer sharing a home with anyone but Scott!

Post Script:  The above was written yesterday, 12/15/2011.  Last night we learned the family will be here TODAY, so by the time we go to bed tonight Gary will be gone.  I feel a little ashamed to mention this but, I actually feel a little like I did as a kid at Christmas time… that sense of anticipation for Santa…