it all works out

i got this book on monday and i can't wait to read it. i just know that i am going to love it.

today the stars aligned when i saw on kelly rae robert's blog that susannah was going to be coming to her studio in portland for a book signing. seriously, two of my favorite women in the same room? i am so there. i went to immediately rsvp and it was already full. sometimes i wish that really cool things that get announced when i am at work could happen when i can see them and respond instantly. super, super, super bummed. i (after a few moments of sulking in my bummedness) decided that it all works out like it should. i just wasn't meant to go.

right after that, i had to start packing up my office at work because we are moving to a new floor. during that process (i haaaaate packing by the way), i found some of the memories from work through the years that i have held on to. project awards. notes from friends. i took a little trip down memory lane in a crazy two hour packing frenzy. it was the perfect opportunity, everyone had already been long gone for the day, and i had quiet time to just focus on loading up my boxes.

when i first started out in my career, i took a three month internship in an area that i had no interest in. but at that time, it was better than the alternative which was doing something that i already knew i really didn't like. the internship was the lesser of two evils. i could not have imagined where that one decision would lead me. fifteen years later i have a job that i love, even on the days (which is really pretty much everyday) when i am so crazy busy i don't have one open minute between 7am and 5pm.

in these fifteen years, because i have got to work with them, i have met some of the people that i love the most in this world. had i not taken that internship, my life would have turned out so differently. a life without all of them. i can't imagine. so thankful that i don't have to.

so as i loaded the last box, and turned out the light, i reminded myself that not going to the book signing is going to be ok. 

it all works out like it should.

weekender

sunday night. really? how did that happen.

friday highlights:
+++ lots of friends qt. love that.
+++ gluten free swedish pancakes at portage bay cafe. with lingonberries. sooooo good.
+++ massage. heavenly.
+++ shopping in ballard, finding new bracelet and ring that i could not live without. perfect. rekindled my love for ballard. big time.
+++ gf chocolate cupcakes. yummy.

+++ drinks and laughs, laughs and drinks. spending time in bars that i haven't ever been in before, really great places to hang out and catch up. a new little adventure. good way to end the work week.

saturday highlights:
+++ dentist appointment for malena where she actually let the dentist see her teeth and clean 5 of them. we will take it. major accomplishment;)
+++ jamba juice (reward...or, perhaps you would call it a bribe, for the above success)
+++ booked tickets for our minnesota/wisconsin trip (shout out to all of the sheehans and the pattersons - we are excited to see you!)
+++ graduation party for my neice taylor - could not be more proud of her, can't wait to see her graduate on friday.

+++ kim's world famous taco tip.
+++ my mom's world famous potato salad.
+++ hanging out with my family, never can have enough of that.

sunday highlights:
+++ sleeping in.
+++ great breakfast with gluten free scones homemade by mom (thanks mom - you rock)
+++ swimming with malena, tons of fun and laughs
+++ jamba juice and tacos for lunch. they hit the spot.
+++ frozen yogurt with strawberries and blackberries. so good.
+++ perfect cherries.
+++ time in my craft room. making cards. wish i could do that more.
+++ sunday night pizza, our end of the weekend routine.

i am looking forward to a lot of good things to come our way this summer.

the shore walk is next weekend, our team is 24 strong at this point and over $1000 raised so far for the team. awesome. i am looking forward to hitting the pavement with some of my favorite peeps as our team "alli's peeps" walks the 5k.

in addition, the rest of this year holds a lot of fun occassions for our family - family reunion, time with friends in wisconsin, a joint 50th birthday party, a baby shower, a 21 run, a 70th birthday party and other birthdays sprinkled here and there. many good times to come. there are so many good things to focus on that i am not spending as much time thinking about my scans coming up in july. at least for the moment. that may change as july looms closer, but for now, i am happy to not have those scans be my primary focus of what is to come.

a little relief for the weary. i will take it whenever i can get it.

finally

pretty happy that friday is here. it's about time.

i am actually not going into work tomorrow. woohoo!! it is actually my day off, but as most of you know, i am usually in the office on my days off (i know, i know, i know). tomorrow that will not be the case. looking forward to some fun times in seattle all day long. can't wait. bring. it. on.

i am also looking forward to a graduation party for my niece on saturday. i am pretty sure that she was just a baby yesterday, so i haven't totally wrapped my mind around how it is possible that she is graduating next week. so proud of her, can't wait to celebrate.

the blog has been a bit quiet lately as you can tell. work/life has not allowed typical routines to occur, but i should be back on more often. malena has decided to have unhappy moments (hours) everyday now it seems. not sure if they are more exhausting for her or us. it might be a tie. we didn't really have terribles twos, wondering if we are now experiencing the traumatic threes. please bring on the fabulous fours;) i reminded myself today as she was wailing and unhappy that even those rough moments are the ones that i fought to be around for. so deep breaths. the grumpy will end, it always does. somedays it just seems to take a bit (lot) longer than others.

i hope that you all have a great weekend - first one of june, how is that possible? i don't know either. enjoy it. xo.

sidenotes:
+++ betsy/mindy/kim/taylor/ann/sean/dominic/natalie/mom/dad - super happy to have you all on the team for the walk. let's hope the weather is a little less soggy next sunday than it was today. summer? hello? go away rain. please.
+++i know that some of you have seen this, but if anyone is looking for a great way to propose, you need to check this out. i would have said yes too.

+++i think he rocks
+++love the idea of a mini-bucket list
+++am also totally digging the concept of a summer manifesto - i think that mine might include frozen yogurt every wednesday night. please and thank you.
+++totally relating to this post as i write this blog post at 12:12am.
+++identified with the words "knowing that even on her worst of days,
she is worthy.she is enough." in this post
+++i remember many "little big things" from my childhood, and i do my best to give malena the same
+++pretty sure that asking ""you know what's great about that" could make my mood better at work and at home....maybe like today when we were in meltdown mode and i could have said "it's great this is happening at 6:30pm instead of 10pm";)
+++jon, are you flying to seattle yet? waiting. waiting. waiting. hurry it up my friend.
+++greta - one more month. one more month. so excited for you. the shot final countdown is on!

long time, no write

time flies when i am working and having fun. here we are with another week already rolling along, we are almost to the half way point. seriously loving that.

our long weekend was a good one, highlights included:

playing with the trains at our favorite saturday morning stop, after finishing cinnamon rolls and gluten free banana bread

planting flowers in the sunshine with mema. very fun. last year i was too sick to plant many flowers, so my mom and malena planted flowers in the two planters on our back deck but we didn't plant flowers anywhere else. this year my mom planted flowers on our front porch too since i can keep up the watering, etc. it is nice to have some more flowers around the house this year, i missed having color all around us last summer. a little bit of healing.

eating lunch outside on a sunny day. can't beat that. hello, sunshine (and sunscreen).

qt at the park. checking out the ducks. having some slide time. checking out this fire engine. swinging. all fun.

you knew there would be some frozen yogurt. so good. i am hungry for it just looking at this picture.

hanging out with our friends, including our red-haired one called elmo.

deciding which ponies to bet on with dad at the races. go for the longshot, they are always worth the bet. it was nice to be at the races (a semi-annual family tradition) and not feel like hell like the last two times we were there. the picture below was me (with my go to hat in those days) and my dad last year, i was feeling rough but forgot about that for a moment when our horse came through with a win.

loved the weekend, missing it already.

today i went to see an allergist to see if some of my problems might be related to food allergies (other than my celiac disease). as a sidenote/rant, i really sometimes hate having celiac disease, like yesterday when i got really, really sick from somehow getting gluten in my system. ugh. what a waste of a good afternoon and then trying to recover the last part of the day. but i only let myself get frustrated on occasion for a minute and then i quickly buck up and get over it. related to how i have been feeling lately, i will see how it goes the next couple of weeks and then will maybe see the doc who diagnosed my celiac disease to see if there is something internal going on. i will probably also check in with my counselor. but i need to take a breath before making yet another appointment.

when i was filling out the paperwork for my appointment today, i had to circle "cancer" on the list of medical conditions i have. i think that was the first time that i have had to circle that on new patient paperwork since i was diagnosed. it was one of those moments when i realized i will now have to circle or write that word everytime i fill out new paperwork for a doctor. just another reminder it is never that far away. not that i need the reminder.

when i met the doctor today, i took my coat off and he looked at the scar on my left arm and immediately said "there has got to be some great story about a bike fall or a climbing fall that caused that scar that you can tell me about." i said "i wish, but not that great of a story". he didn't ask further, i think that he made the connection since we had already talked about my melanoma diagnosis. to break the ice on that awkward moment i told him that having scars all over was just part of my new drill and that it was better than the alternative so i coudn't complain (though you all know that sometimes i do, but i try really hard to make that the exception rather than the rule).

i have a bunch of sidenotes to share, but will save those for tomorrow.

happy wednesday peeps - i can almost see friday (and it is looking good), how about you?

fight like a girl

this weekend my sister-in-law kim and her family held a girls night out bunco party to raise money for the shore walk that we are doing in june. such a great idea, such a fun night. they worked so hard to put it together. great food. great women. great laughter. great drinks. great fun. great cause. $820 raised for that great cause. awesome.

it obviously meant a lot to me that they would put in all of the hard work to put the night together. everyone that came knew they were putting money towards the walk to support my team. not everyone that came knew me directly. but everyone who came knew how much i appreciated it by the end of the night when i was able to say thank you, of course, while tears were streaming down my face. it is powerful to have so many people gather to support something that means so much to you, and to realize that the night would not have ever happened had i not been diagnosed with cancer. sometimes the good outshines the bad. this was one of those times.

so very, very grateful.

it all rides on the roll of the three dice.

betsy the bartender - she doesn't mess around.

ummmm.....why have i never seen one of these before - shouldn't ever blender have a tap? i think that the answer to that question is definitely yes.

tons of awesome food.

the best, and i do mean the best, taco dip in the world that kim makes. it doesn't last long. so good.

yes please.

of course there were great raffle prizes drawn all night long.

kim with a shirt that says "cancer sucks" - i totally agree.

fight like a girl. that has been, and will continue to be, the plan.

we wrapped up the weekend with a 17th of may celebration to honor our norwegian roots.

this week is a busy one (well, aren't they all really?) so i will be back on later in the week.

happy monday peeps. hope your weekend was as good as mine.



i love to watch her play

six words. i plan to use them a lot from now on.

tuesday, why aren't you friday?

+++ loved this article (tnx em for sharing)
+++will keep this in mind when i am doing laundry (which is right on the top of my list with things that i dislike, next to pumping gas - mom, i get that one from you)
+++it's all about attitude
+++liking this blog a lot, just bought her book over the weekend and can't wait to dive in
+++just started an e-course called "do what you love" to get my creative juices moving. pretty sure that i will decide that i need to quit my job and make cards full time (sshhhh...don't tell barrett).
+++my sis and i kicking it into high gear - go team!
+++aaron - saw this pic on your page today, loved it;) miss you. xoxo
+++jo/mike - thanks for your donation to the walk, i really appreciate it!!