730

730......

That's the number of days since I last got to talk to my father. It's the number of days since I was able to hold his hand. It's the number of days I have missed him since he died. It's the number of days I have wished that I could talk to him again, see him again, hear his stories again, get his opinion on something, watch him paint or just walk into the room and see him reading a book.

It's been two years and for the most part it is a little easier. I was blessed to be able to spend the last few months helping care for him as his health declined. I was blessed that he was able to function pretty well until the last week.

(This is two weeks before he died)

My Dad was a good man. He left me with many gifts, many of which I never appreciate until after he died.

The past two years have been a struggle for my whole family. I know that I am grateful for my Mom's and my ability to share how we feel about missing Dad without thinking anyone will think we are just holding on to the past. I'm grateful for the support that my sister has given me over the past couple of years. She has been accepting and generous beyond belief and has always been a good distraction for me when I needed it. I am grateful that my brothers have been able share their homes and families with me when asked. I am grateful that my nieces and nephews had the opportunity to know their Grandfather. I wish they could know him some more. He loved each and every one of them. I hope that in some ways, I can fill in some of the blanks for my nieces and nephews when they have questions.

I know that each year this day will be a little less painful but for now it's not.

What I Did On My Spring Break....

Wednesday, April 4,2007
0600
Dear diary,
I'm excited today. I am going to pick up E & K in NYC and go to Fl. I'm waiting for Prime Time Shuttle to pick me up to go to Long Beach airport to fly to JFK to meet up with 2 of my favorite nieces & nephews. I can't wait!

2345
We made it to D.C. Jet Blue was delayed for an hour and we spent a couple of hours on the tarmac but we are here. It's cold. We are off to Uncle Jim's house and then we'll start the sightseeing tomorrow. I got a lot of knitting done on the Goddess top. The front part is done (for now) and I've cast on the back. I really like the tubular cast on it calls for. Very tired, diary....

Thursday, April 5, 2007
1130

Dear Diary,
We made it. The kids and I got into DC via metro (God I love the Metro in DC) and got off at the stop by the White House. How cool it was to see the kids as they encountered the White House for the first time. They couldn't believe that we were actually looking at the Oval Office in the West Wing. From the north side of the WH we traveled around to the south side (or the pretty side as Kighla calls it) and got to see it in all it's glory. As we crossed Pennsylvania Avenue Ean got his first glimpse of the Capitol building. It was a wonderful moment.

1230
We wandered over to the White House Visitor's Center and found a lot of great things. Each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia had decorated Easter Eggs and they were on display in the center....check out Louisiana's egg....it's Emeril!


1430

The Smithsonian and the mall....DC really is an amazing place. So much wide open space, lots of beautiful buildings and history. We were going to go to the Museum of American History but it's closed for renovations until 2008. That stunk but we did make it to the Castle, the gardens next to the castle and then to the Air and Space Museum. Very cool!
1700

Back to Virgina and my brother's house. Ashley and Katherine were home from school....that's the last I saw of the kids for the night. All in all, a really wonderful day.


Frday, April 6, 2007
0900

Dear Diary,
We are standing in line to get tickets to the Capitol. It's FREEZING cold and the wind is really blowing. Ashley is with us today and she hates to have her picture taken....we'll see if that lasts for the whole day.


1700

We are back in Virginia again. Today was amazing. From the Capitol, we went to the Holocaust museum. It's very moving. I loved the Hall of Rememberance. From there we went to lunch at the Post Office Pavillion. Then it was on to Fords Theater (closed, no tours today), the International Spy Museum (tickets sold out for today and tomorrow but we scored some for Sunday) and then a metro ride to Foggy Bottom. We walked down to the Lincoln Memorial by the State Department and Navy Hill. The Lincoln Memorial is one of the most awe-inspiring places I have been. It's so incredibly beautiful that it is difficult to imagine it's spleandor without being there. Next up was the Vietnam Memorial....another powerful space. A walk back up the hill to the Foggy Bottom metro (with a stop at Jamba Juice for some lifesaving smoothies....how is it that Ashley doesn't know about Jamba Juice????) and then a great ride back to Virginia. I wonder what's in East Falls Church that everyone gets off the metro at that stop....




Saturday, April 7, 2007
2100

Dear Diary,
Snow!!!!! Did you check the date? Snow!!!!! Today's sightseeing takes us to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia and Antietem Battlefield in Maryland. Two amazing places. We left Kighla and Ashley behind to hang out in movie theaters and pools.....but we added Uncle Jim. Jim challenged us to find the person in the cemetary with the oldest birth date.....We found one person born in 1796. Very old. The confluence of the Potomac and the Shenendoah rivers, midpoint of the Appalachian trail, meeting place of Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia. It's breathtaking. One of the coolest things we did....Jim put pennies on the railroad tracks. We went around the town sightseeing and when we got back we went searching for them and found a couple of them flattened out......cool souveniers. Then it was on to Antietem. My camera ran out of disc space so no pictures of the events there. It's hard to believe that over 22,000 American's were killed, wounded or went misssing in one day on these grounds. Another awe-inspiring place. We had a wonderful time and were headed back to Virginia when all of a sudden, in the lovely hamlet of Boonsboro, MD, Jim's car just stopped. I mean....stopped. dead. Luckily, we were in Boonsboro. We were safe; we found someone to tow us back to Virginia.....what fun. A little scarey but we were safe.

Sunday, April 8, 2007
2200

Dear Diary,

We made it back to New York City tonight. It was another event filled day of sight seeing. Ean and I went into the International Spy Museum bright and early. No pictures allowed inside. It's a wonderful place to spend a few hours. I highly recommend it. From there, a quick hop on the metro to Arlington Cemetary. What a wonderful place. We saw Kennedy's grave (both John and Robert), and the Tomb of the Unknown's. We saw the Changing of the Guard. What dedication and precision. Another place I highly recommend. Take the time to go and see the changing of the guard. You will be touched forever by the solemnity and respect of the place. (Note to self, please turn your cell phone to stun during the changing of the guard!)

While Ean and I were being Spy's and Soldiers, Kighla and Ashley went to the Zoo with Jim and Carmen. They got to see the Panda's (both mother and baby), Gorilla's, Snakes and Elephants. They had a great time. From there it was off to the airport and back to NYC.

I am one tired but happy Aunt. This was a great trip and I enjoyed every moment of it. I know my father was watching from heaven and nodding in approval. I might not have known the answers to all the questions like he would have but I think I represented pretty well. I hope we get to go again next year. Now, it's off to Las Vegas!

Family!

Well, if you read my sister's post you have already heard the news.....

I have seven very funny, brillian, talented nieces and nephews. I don't get to see them too often but I do get to spread the news about them. From time to time you have read about allof them. This time one of my very talented, funny, brilliant nephews was accepted to both LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts and the Beacon School in NYC. This is a HUGE deal. The competetion to get into LaGuardia is unbelievable as it is to the Beacon School. He will have exceptional opportunities regardless of which school he attends. I am very proud.

My Mom has done it again. Yes, she blew out her right knee. She will probably have to have surgery but we won't know anything until Monday. I have tried to make plans to travel to Fl., my brother has tried to send my SIL to help her but she is exerting her independence. We are all on hold until Monday. Unless I just can't stand it anymore and just go ahead and go despite what she says. It's the fine line of respecting her independence and wishes and doing what you know in your heart needs to be done.

This is my week to be reminded of the fact that I am a nurse. In addition to my Mom, my cousin had a bad bout of Migraine last night and needed to get to the ER. After she got some VERY good drugs in her, I left her on her couch this morning under the care of her very capable cat, Zoey. I'll be checking in on her later today.

For now, it's back to worrying.....oops, I mean work.

You Know I'm Thinking of You....Right?

I have to say I am a very lackadaisical blogger. I think about posting.....I really do. Somehow things just get in the way. The last few days, blogger has been so slow, I couldn't get it to load. So here are a few of the things that go through my head when I think about posting a blog:

1. What's going on about which I have something to say? Not much...Does anyone really want to hear about my life....it's not very interesting.


2. I don't have any pictures to post. I got a new camera and there are pictures on the camera but I can't get them to my laptop. I can get them to my office computer though so I just have to do it.


3. I fall asleep.....not all the time but if you know anything about the Cowley side of the family, you know what I'm talking about. I sit down at night and before you know it, I'm asleep. Of course, I'm up at the crack of dawn or sooner.


4. I think about writing something about the political situation ....that's a little touchy.

After all is said and done, I don't get a post written. I do think of you and think about how I should really get it done. I know I don't tell you nearly enough. All I can say is that I will do better.

The Weekend

The weekend has been fairly busy. I did bring some work home and spent a bit of time catching up on a few things. It's actually nice to have some things that I didn't get done during the week to bring home. I really love working and I enjoy what I'm doing so it's not a real burden. Mostly it's been reading some great things about critical care nurses. I just read an excellent article from Chest magazine from the November 10th issue entitled "Changing the work environment in ICU's to achieve patient-focused care: The time has come." It was co-written by a past president of AACN and a past president of the American College of Chest Physician's. It is quite inspiring and hopeful.

Last night, my cousin and I went to Manhattan Beach to have dinner with my Aunt and her boyfriend. They have been dating since July without any interference from family....it was time. So, Ron passed muster. He is a very nice man and they seem very well suited to each other. It was an enjoyable evening and the traffic on the 405 wasn't bad at all...BONUS!!!

Today, my cousin and I met some of my co-workers at the Orange County Swap Meet (I might have called it a Flea Market but no one asked me.) I'm not really much of a swap meet kind of girl but all in all, it wasn't too bad. What I liked about it is that I went in with $11.00, bought a vegetable peeler that juliennes, a big nest type spoon like you would use to scoop stuff out of a wok, a little special hair scrunchy for a special girl I know and a small bag of Kettle Corn. There were great vegetable deals that we found at the end. If I had a bit more, I would have brought home a bunch of fresh vegetables. We spent 4 hours there. It was not bad. It was really kind of fun. There was good company and we had a very nice time.

Knitting and Crocheting Projects

I am currently projectless at the moment....I'm knitting a scarf but that's because I need to do something with my hands. I finished the log cabin blanket and mailed it to my nephew. I think it was a hit. He called and told me he really loved it soooo much. Very cool.

It was a lot of fun doing it and I am very pleased with the way it turned out.

I also finished a second Tuscany dress (the one I crocheted for my sister just before Christmas.) for a friend at work. It turned out well. There is, however, a moratorium on crocheting that particular dress in that particular yarn again for a while.

I am looking for the right yarn to make the Michael Kors crocheted dress. There is no picture on the Vogue Knitting website so I can't show you. I'm forcing it on my cousin....It's one of those situations where I really want to make it so I said to her....what color would you like?

Politics

The Democrats are throwing hats into the ring from everywhere.....Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, it's getting crowded. I have two favorites in this group who I would like to see do well. I am drawn to the candidates that don't have a lot of baggage. Is inexperience really a bad thing? I'm not sure. I'll do a bit of reading, a lot of listening and see where we end up.

I'll leave you with this picture of my best buddy here.....She's pretty cute.

One VERY Proud Aunt

My niece, the lovely and VERY talented Kighla, is acting her heart out in a play at a theater in Manhattan. She was chosen by her drama teacher to be in a play in a theater on the upper west side. It's very exciting. She's an awesome kid with a great heart, a lot of talent and I am very proud to be her aunt.....

You Rock, Kighla!

NYC, Rhinebeck and Tough Bugs

Why is it that when I take my camera somewhere, I forget to take pictures? I'm a knucklehead....that's all there is to it.

Two weeks ago I headed to Philadelphia for yet another business trip. This time, I was in downtown Philadelphia. It was my first time and I liked it a lot. We were right across the street from Reading Terminal Market.This is a phenomenal place with all manner of vendors of food, organic vegetables, Amish goods, etc. A truly amazing marketplace. If you are in downtown Philadelphia, I would highly recommend a visit.

Took a nice walk to Rittenhouse Square. A beautiful city park surrounded by a lot of shops and restaurants.

Took a little side street trip to Rosies Yarn Cellar where there was quite a large amount of yummy yarns in a very small space.

The conference in Philadelphia was nice. I had the opportunity to connect with some friends from my past life. It was great to be able to represent such a well respected organization. People were constantly coming up to our booth telling us they were members and loved AACN. I am lucky.

Wednesday, I took the train to NYC. Wow, how easy was that. Amtrak was right on time, an hour and 15 minutes later, Penn Station. No muss, no fuss.....easy as can be. The next few days were spent hanging out with my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew. I got to watch a couple of soccer matches, meet teachers and see an amazing showcase at LaGuardia School for the Performing Arts. NYC has a very complicated process of choosing a high school. The process involves going on school tours, interviews, auditions, portfolios, etc. It is as tough as getting into college. We went and visited Millennium High School down by Wall Street. It's a new school built after 9/11 as a result of the efforts of Sen. Clinton. It's a very nice space. I was very blown away by LaGuardia High School. We saw performances by the Jazz Band, the Orchestra, the choir, some drama students, dancers, and art. Those kids were amazing. The academic program is quite remarkable as well.

I came down with a nasty cold (well, at that time it was a cold) and it knocked me down for a few days. My sister, niece and I did get to the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York. It was a couple of hours north of the city and it was a glorious fall day.

There was so much beautiful yarn it was hard to wrap my head around it. It was a delightful trip and well worth the adventure. I

Monday, I headed back to California. Note to self......don't fly when you have a cold. It sucks, I know why babies cry. If I could have cried, I would have. I did take NyQuil before getting on the plane so I did sleep for a few hours. Thank goodness, it was a non-stop flight from Newark to Orange County. Landing was miserable. The only good thing is that the descent into OC is not prolonged so the pain only lasted about 30 minutes. The bad thing was that I couldn't hear much once we landed. My ears were a mess. Since getting back, the past 6 days have been pretty miserable.......cold transitioned to rotten sinusitis. My ears finally cleared up yesterday and I am actually feeling human again.

It's been a heck of a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to getting back to work. I've started knitting again and life is good.

Congratulations to my cousin. She kicked butt in San Francisco last weekend running a half marathon and finishing a full 30 minutes ahead of her estimated time and even better than her stretch goal. She has worked hard to accomplish this and she did great.......