A blog that started out as a humorous tale of raising 6 children, then quickly became a chronicle of my grief at being suddenly widowed. Now it's the rest of my journey ... of living, laughing, crying, praying, rejoicing. Of being happy, sad, angry, content, sorrowful, alone, amazed and very, very blessed. And still taking life, one breath at a time ........
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Places where I've cried
This isn't a sad post -- it's just ..... my life. It sounds sadder than I feel at the moment (that's for my mom).
It's occurred to me over the past couple of days that there are many places where I've cried.
There are the obvious places: my bed, church (all over the church -- my office, the sanctuary, etc), my living room, the family room, the kitchen, the kids' bedrooms, etc. Oh, and a funeral home. That's a given.
Then there's my bathroom, on the floor next to my toilet. That was a bad moment. And there's the shower -- picture Glenn Close in "The Big Chill" and that's exactly how it was (well, except for that fact that she's blonde and had a better body, but other than that, exactly). The shower is a great place to cry and to cry loudly. No one can hear you.
And there's Jim's closet. I have actually only sat in there one time and cried. But it was that first week and it was horrible. I try not to spend too much time in there -- just a glance inside once in a while.
I've cried in my car (I've cried in several people's cars). That option is best used when the car is parked in the garage. People tend to stare while you're driving. And well, it's a bit hard to see through tears. People also tend to stare when you're in a parking lot. Yes, the garage is the safest place.
I've cried in movie theaters and at at two live productions.
I've cried in the woods. I've cried on the tennis courts. I've cried at the nail salon. I've cried at the grocery store and at the gas station.
I've cried in an attorney's office, an accountant's office and a banking office.
I've cried at friends' homes.
I've cried on a cruise ship. That was the most expensive place in which to cry.
I. Have. Cried.
But not today. And I don't think I cried yesterday, though I really can't remember much over an hour, so I could be wrong (which is a phrase I seem to say almost daily --- though I could be wrong).
I went to work today and then I bought some pants. My pants were really starting to look pathetic.
Tonight I bought a plane ticket for my sorority reunion (there had better be a lot of my friends there!).
Tomorrow I play in another tennis match across town, then I'm going with some ladies from my other team to see "Menopause, the Musical" and to stay in one of the gal's beach house. I will be back early Saturday afternoon. The house will still be full .... hopefully it will still be standing on Saturday.
So no freaking when there's not a post tomorrow.
You all did very well on the tree topic. I shall give you another topic to discuss while I'm gone and I expect you to do another good job (and by the way, Michael only wants to be a pool cue tree so that he can hit Dawn. Evidently I missed an "episode" while I was in college. Somebody chased someone else around a pool table with the cue stick raised as a weapon. Too bad we didn't have video then.)
Here's the topic: where would your dream vacation be (I need some ideas).
Ready?
Discuss amongst yourselves.
:)
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18 comments:
OK...your fam is too funny. Thanks for the smiles! I just wanted to let you know that Kim and Heidi will also be in Stillwater in April. Can't wait to see you. I will give the dream vacation some thought. Love you Janine!!
First of all I have to say I love that photo of Jim in his Rolling Stones t-shirt. The next one should be in his bow tie if you have one. The dream vacation is a tough one for me. I generally do not like to repeat destinations. It drives G crazy! However I do love European vacations and Great Britian. The Ireland coast is spectacular and I love the Irish people. Now if we're talking beaches-Bora,Bora Tahiti and Kahuai are also favorites of mine. I'm not a shopper so these favs have nothing to do with shopping. Sorry ladies!
This entry sounds a bit like Andy Rooney--maybe if he ever leaves 60 minutes there'll be an opening for you. Glad to hear you have had at least a couple of days without crying...although you're still allowed a good cry whenever you want one. Have a good weekend. susan
I'm going to Stillwater this weekend. Does that count as a Dream Vacation? We are visiting my son and looking at houses.
There are SO many places that I want to go...but I think there's a huge difference between having a "vacation" and going to some of the places that I want to go. I have always wated to go to Africa, but I doubt that I'd call it a vacation:) My ideal vacation is lying on a beach in Mexico. No time frames...no deadlines...no phone calls...etc...
Now...WHILE we're outing Michael for his pool cue chase, I thought maybe I would REMIND you about the time you were skipping rocks at Richard and you hit him in the head!!! Hmmm...I seem to remember a LOT of blood and some stitches;)
Ha!
Oh well...it wasn't me! I love you Janine. Every day. Every hour. Every minute.
Lis
My dream vacation has got to be any vacation Natalie goes on! Nat have you really been to all these places? can I tag along next time?? pleaseeeeee?????
I have always wanted to visit Ireland, Italy, South of France.
I hope the play is Great! Have fun in Galveston. I Love You, K
ps. I love that picture of Jim too- made me cry, part of me is still not believing all this.
Dream vacation...hmmmm...I would have to say hooking up the 30 foot trailer to my truck, putting the wife and kids(and dogs-Pug & St Bernard) in and camping our way from Anchorage, through Alaska, on into Canada, down the coast of Washington, Oregon and California. Then throug Las Vegas for a few days, and on through Arizona and New Mexico. The fam LOVES the camping experience and it forces us to spend quality time together. It may sound a bit cramped, but we always have a good time. It also forces you to do absolutely nothing...totally relaxing. And by the way, this trip is exactly what we are doing when we retire and come back to the lower 48 in 3.5 more years. We also plan to do the Eas coast shortly after that! But hey, that's just us/me.
Then again, lying on a beach in Tahiti wearing nothing but a thong on backwards doesn't sound so bad either. (Nice visual, huh?)
He was trying to drown me so he deserved it! Anyway, he loves the scar in the shape of a peace symbol!
Michael -- I just threw up in my mouth! GAG!!!!!
Thanks so much for the visual.
A scuba diving vacation. I'd like to dive all over Micronesia and the Marianas islands.. Start at Truk, then to Palau and finally Guam and Saipan. May be stop at a few islands in between. I'm still kicking myself for not going to Palau and swimming with the jelly fish when we lived on Guam. There is a lake on Palau where the jelly fish aren't poisonous. There are great reefs to look at as well as ships and planes from WWII.
Have a good weekend. I hope "Menopause, the Musical" doesn't singe your eyes like "Avenue Q"
Not a visual I wanted EVER!!!!!! Thanks little bro! My dream vacation would be with no kids! Turks and Caicos would be nice and the view is amazing! (no i haven't been but I have seen pictures) You can get your very own privte bungalo on the ocean and sit on the patio and drink margaritas all day long! Yep that's the ticket!
M-although I love camping in our RV (that you bought because I can't sleep, nor let ANYONE sleep while in a tent in BARE Alaska with moose and bears sniffin' around us all night!) My dream vacation is actually in a B&B in Ireland, near the coast and close to a good Pub with a good céilidh going on.
Erin Go Bragh!
"Slainte!!"
M-lets do another 20 and go back to England/Ireland!!! Whadya say?
P.S. J-have a good time. We love you and we think and pray for you and the kids everyday! XOXO and by the way...you 3 as kids, make me and my 6 bro's and sis' as kids look like angels! LOL
M...babe...the thong thing...I love you but...even I...well...sorry everyone!
Maybe I'll go on vacation with M's wife?? To the B&B in Ireland that is! that sounds great- as long as M keeps his pants on!!!!! I know, I know, who invited me?right? I just can't seem to vacation any further than Dallas with the people I live with so I figure I need to find someone willing to let me tag a long!!! What do you say M and K in AK?????
By the way M, you need to plan your next vacation right here in good ole' Houston! We miss you and we want to meet K!!!!!!! Either that or you are going to have a very large group of visitors next summer!!!!!!lets see i can think of atleast 4 families.... you'll be looking at roughly 7 guys 13-20 yrs old, a couple "under 10" and five or six, 12-20something girls!
Party in AK!!!!!! DM you need to meet us there!
DM- I'm really looking forward to your upcomming visit!!We need to have a pajama party!!!
........No, I'm sorry M, girls only!
Love You J,
K in Houston
Australia is my favorite place in the whole world (& I've been to lots of places - Alaska is a 2nd fave). Tasmania is uniquely amazing if you can swing down there while in Oz. There are a ton of amazing things to do and places to see from sledding down the world's largest sand dunes to seeing herds of dugong (like manatees), manta rays and eagle rays in crystal clear water in a small boat ecocruise and feeding dolphins by hand (on Tangalooma/Moreton Island off Brisbane). Fraser Island is the worlds' largest sand island with a gorgeous Kingfisher Bay ecoresort that has a restaurant you can eat kangaroo, crocodile and emu (and my kids actuallY LIKED all 3!), 4wd tips to the rainforest in the island center, and a whalewatching for humpbacks in Platypus Bay (off Fraser Island - you can see the whales underwater it's sooo clear & they come so close to the boat!!) and Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo is amazing also - not like an ordinary zoo. We jetted down to Tasmania for only 3 days, but Mt Field Natl Parks is soooo amazing and probably my fave places in the world. Being from the Pacific NW it reminds me a lot of the old growth forests & climate there. We also saw a penguin rookery and wallabies and Tasmanian devils and all kinds of wildlife. Savannah wants to move to Redcliffe a suburb of Brisbane where my friend lives (who is a sea turtle biologist and I know she would welcome a visit with you - she has 4 kids herself - she's a dear friend of mine and we've kept in touch for 20 yrs since i met her when volunteering there in 1990). I want to move to Australia too when the kids get out of school! There's also the Whitsunday Islands and Great Barrier Reef, and this totally awesome Dingo Bay where there were thousands of sand dollars (who knew they're pink when alive?), sea stars, sea cucumbers etc. There's something for everyone in Australia. Oh and Daydream Island is amazing! They have the largest outdoor saltwater aquarium in the world and you can see all the things from Finding Nemo and all over the Great barier Reef really close up. I have some pics on my blog: http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_bohemianadventures_archive.html
And though people think it's far it is only a 13hr flight from LA to Brisbane! The rainforest in the far north Queensland is also amazing (that's where I spent 5 mo in college) Anyway can you tell I love Australia? :) Now if I'm lucky Discovery Channel will send me back there in a couple weeks!! Savannah is scared and doesn't want me diving with sharks... But I haven't heard yet :)
OMG I'm so excited!! I just got word that the Discovery Channel gig is ON and I AM going to Australia to dive with sharks!! However it's in April, so that means I won't be able to go to Kenya :( unless I can just go from Oz to Africa but that might be a wee bit much. Maybe Nov....
A dream vacation would be camping in Alaska with Aunt Janine and my cousins.(Hint....Hint.....Wink....wink)
Sooo many places I want to see. Mediterranian cruise is tops on my list with lots of stops in Italy and Greece. I'd love to go to Iceland and Fiji (now those are polar opposites.) Also want to see the Great Wall, Machu Pichu and take an Alaskan cruise (inland). Touring the US and Canada via RV is on my "retirement vacation" list. Janine, your family sounds like so much fun. I'd love to meet them all. Keep blogging and making me smile, cry, pray, etc.
Cheryl
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