And he’s OFF… With the MoHo

I just stole my girlfriends term “MoHo”… I always loved it when she wrote about her adventures and travel with her MoHo and her pets.

Well Wen, we’ve joined the ranks…

I would have written a post last night but we were busy all day finishing up yard work and then went to my brothers to pick up the motorhome.

Fred is on a timeline so we were up until 2 this morning cleaning and prepping our now 3rd home for occupancy.

3rd home you say? Yes.

Fred and I live with my mom, well, actually I live with my mom.

Fred spends most of his time living and working on the boat.

The F/V Taku has been in dry dock for the past few months and we splashed her last week and took her back to Bellingham.

She still has a lot of work left to be done and while she is under renovation for phase two, Fred be living in our “new” motor home.

It isn’t fancy, but it is clean and it runs. We were laying in the bed above the cab last night, trying it out, and noticed itsy bitsy ants crawling along one of the seems in the ceiling…

As I mentioned, the MoHo needs some work. Nothing I wouldn’t expect as it has been sitting for awhile.

Why does morning have to come soooo early?

It will be another late night tonight. Mom and I are transporting vehicles to Bellingham after work today.

Aristotle isn’t so sure about this latest development…

He’ll adjust though, he’ll just be glad to get back to the dock and see his girlfriends.

Missing my boys already!

Super Human Feats of Strength

You know a man loves his dog when he is willing to lug the 80 lb mutt 30 feet down a metal ladder covered in barnacles to a boat down below… In howling winds… Barefoot (just kidding on that last part.)

It’s dark so it is hard to see what I am talking about, I held my breath, afraid I would lose them both. It was like looking over the edge of an abyss. It was dark and they disappeared into nothingness as they descended the ladder.

We are all snuggled in bed now. The winds HOWLING outside the door, the oil stove running full blast heating the boat as it rocks in the wind, and boy howdy is it rocking.

My man and his dog.

The WASband once said

You love those damn animals more than you love me

Why yes, yes I did.

Now I truly love someone as much as I love my furry kids, and he loves them as much as I do. And they love him too, and he loves me. One big happy family we are.

Going to be a long day tomorrow. We are moving the boat from Bellingham to Everett and into dry dock for some much needed love and attention.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Aristotle… Biker Dog

Tot and I went on a road trip today… I delivered him back to “dad”. We both miss Fred like crazy. Tot is lucky though, he gets to be a boat dog, while I have to stay home and work my office job.

I miss my boys!

Disappointed…but not giving up believing…

 

I absolutely refuse to give up believing in the goodness of people.

I also absolutely refuse to tolerate behavior which is explicitly forbidden, and the blatant disregard for clear expectations and house rules.

We all make choices. We must be accountable for them.

Maybe it is the years of experience with the WASband that have made me less tolerant of poor choices and less forgiving and less trusting.

I was disappointed to learn tonight that our deck hand will no longer be working with us. Very nice guy. Big heart.

Big mistake… He lied to us, and he lied to my face. I have enough trust issues already, lying is just not something I can forgive. His poor choices have cost him his job. What hurts worst is that I just had this discussion with him last weekend. I would rather that someone tell me the truth, even if it is not what I want to hear, than lie to me.

It is difficult for me to understand why people do what they do, especially with regard to alcohol.  We’ve been working with “Guy” (not his real name) since July. He kept telling us how much he liked working with us on the fishing tender and all of the things that he has been learning. He’s not much younger than I am but he referred to Fred and I and “Dad” and “Mom” and our dog Tot as his “brother”.

I have no idea what happened, but we are so disappointed tonight.

Fred returned to the boat today to find that Guy had been arrested for drinking on company property (that is what we were told – we really don’t know the whole story). Fred had come home for a couple of days to help out around my mom’s house and Tot and the boat were left in the care of Guy. Tot was alone on the boat without food or water for whatever time Guy was away or incapacitated and that, along with the behaviors and lack of regard, are troubling.  Fortunately Tot is okay but our trust is broken, yet again.

I could hear the disappointment in Fred’s voice tonight as we talked it over. He has invested an enormous amount of time in Guy, and the guy before that, showing him the ropes, teaching him what he needed to know to be an effective crew member. Skills he can take with him for future employment.

Not only are we without a crew member, this incident impacts the company’s view of us as a boat (owner). It also leaves Fred short-handed for the next opening (on Tuesday) unless he can hire someone tomorrow…

Our expectations are that our crew will show respect for the boat and us by not putting our reputations at stake. That includes keeping the boat clean and tidy and acting responsibly when representing us in public.

There are no drugs or alcohol allowed on the boat and crew members are not allowed on the boat if they are high, drunk or hung over. This is about safety.

I am not a smoker and prefer that any smoking be on deck and not in the house. We spent many hours cleaning up the years of nicotine oozing from the paint in the house and worked tirelessly to rid the house of stale cigarette smoke smells.

We are proud of the boat and work to keep her looking and operating in tip-top shape.

In return for the expected behaviors, the crew member gets room and board and a cut of the net profits after the season is paid out. It is hard work, but the pay isn’t all that bad.

Fred got a call tonight that there may be a prospect for a new crew member. He’ll be meeting with him tomorrow. We’ll see how things go. We want to give people an opportunity but our trust is broken.

I just feel so hurt for Fred. It makes my heart ache.

 

Learning to ask for help…

This (learning to ask for help) should be an item on my LIFE LIST, but I don’t think it will be something that I ever accomplish fully.

It has been a busy few days… and I think it is okay to talk about it now.

Mom has had me call a few people (friends and relatives) to let them know that she’s in the hospital.

We had quite a scare yesterday… I actually thought I may have lost her all together. Seeing her unresponsive was really quite frightening and totally unexpected.

Fortunately it is nothing life threatening and she’ll be okay. She passed out due to low blood pressure and collapsed to the floor. In the process she really banged up her head and after multiple CT scans and x-rays it has been determined that she fractured her spine in the neck area… I guess you can say that she has broken her neck. As I said, we are fortunate that it is not worse and after a few days in the hospital she will be going to rehab until she can come home.

I am most thankful that I was home and that Fred and I are living with her. It is frightening to think what would have happened had we not been there for her.

It isn’t as if my mom is “fragile” or “feeble” – she isn’t.  She is strong, smart and independent.  She drives (even if I tease her about it) and gets around on her own without a lot of assistance. Sure, there are things that are difficult for her to do now, and that is where Fred and I are able to assist. It is my pleasure to do those things.

There were many years where I was too far away to assist with the activities of daily living and my brothers took care of things… now it is my turn. Well, it’s not really a “turn”… it is a privilege.

Things have been very stressful for her the past few years with my father’s increasing health issues and with his passing this past January. She’s having to adjust to things and take on tasks that she has not had to do in quite a while. Add in the fact that Fred and I have moved in and her life is completely different from what it was just a short time ago.

I really love my mom… she is SUPER DUPER AWESOME! (LOVE YOU MOM!)

As Fred and I were waiting in the Emergency Room to see what was up (5 1/2 hours) she went from being somewhat out of it and confused to being her “normal” self. In that time I was in contact with my brothers letting them know what was up. At one point my middle brother suggested that he would come down with my niece.

My first reaction was that they didn’t need to come down yet because mom wasn’t even in a room. What I failed to see at the time was that my brother was offering to come down and “spell” me and wait with mom so that I could get something to eat and take a break! DUH!  Once I realized this I was like “yes, please come… it would be nice to get something to eat and pick some things up at home for mom“…

My family is great. We’ve even been told by the nursing staff (from both my dad’s last hospitalization and my mom’s current care team) that they just love how involved we are and how kind, thoughtful and caring we are toward each other.

I love that Fred is a part of my family now as well. I don’t know what I would have done yesterday if he had not been with me to support me while attending to my mom and her emergency.

It is nice to know that I finally do not have to do everything on my own. I am not alone and I am not expected to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.

This allows me to take care of my own business while attending to family business.  Sharing the load means that we can all do more. While I really miss Juneau, it is nice to be so close to family and have all of this support.

That leads me to my second big accomplishment of today. I met with a financial counselor. With my divorce in what seems to be a never-ending limbo and with my assets frozen pending the divorce, my move from Alaska to Seattle and my decrease in income it is getting more difficult to keep up with the marital debts and the WASband has not, does not and will not contribute in any way.  One of my goals is to become debt free… one way or another that will happen. Today was a big step in avoiding bankruptcy, but that may still occur depending on the outcome of the divorce.

My intention has always been to pay off the marital debt with the proceeds from the sale of MY house, but the WASband has other plans for that money. At this point the outcome of that “issue” is in the hands of the court.

After my meeting with the financial counselor, Fred and I took Tot for a very short walk at Marymoor Park before we headed back to the hospital for a few hours this evening.

Another accomplishment… I walked three times this week for a total of  6.26 miles.

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I love walking with Fred. He had some (more) words of wisdom for me today. I know I have said this before, but sometimes I forget myself… He reminded me that while this (the divorce) is frustrating and sometimes it seems that things are not going well or that I am not being treated fairly, that no matter what the outcome is, I am going to be happy.

The WASband may think he’ll be happy if he “wins” but there are no winners in this divorce. He may get everything he is asking for but he’ll still be unhappy and he’ll still be miserable.  I’ve already moved on.  I’ve already accepted that I may lose “everything”… but in all reality none of that “stuff” matters.

Everything happens for a reason. We moved from Alaska to be with my mom and thank goodness we did because at this moment in time she needed us and we were here. The issues with the marital debt, looking for a new job, living in Washington, putting our plans on hold because of different circumstances, are all things that are happening because they have a purpose. I may not be able to see what the plan is, but in the end everything is happening for a reason and at the time it is supposed to happen.

Rather than trying to control the outcome of things I need to try to influence things by being the best person I can be and doing the “right” things at the right time, but I also need to accept things. Everything happens for a reason, in its own time and at its own pace.

Every day that I let go of “stuff” I am that much closer to being free.

I already have what matters most: My family, my friends, my life… and LOVE. Everything else will fall into place.

 

 

 

 

 

Doggy Play Date – Medina Park

It is a WET day here in Bellevue, WA… we got up early to meet Comet and his mom at the dog park for a walk.

How about this do? Spiky Tot... and soaking wet.

Did I mention it was WET? I don’t care what the weather forecast says… it was RAINING and not lightly.

I have really been struggling to get my “activity” in. When I am overwhelmed I tend to let my own personal needs go. This is the WORST thing to do.

Exercise ALWAYS makes me feel better and more energized. Tot loves it too.

Medina Park - Walked – 2.31mi, 1:04:38 minutes, Pace 27:59 min/mi, 198 kCal

Medina Park is a little cramped and required multiple laps to get the miles in but Tot likes it there because of the ducks. He is NOT a retriever but he is a chaser.

I am happy to report that I have walked two (2) times this week… already better than last week. My eating has been a bit out of control – well, more than I should be eating, but I am tracking it and trying to make good choices. We’ll see what the scale and the tape measure say on Saturday when I weigh in at Weight Watchers.

It has been fun to walk with Fred and Comet’s mom… nice to catch up on things in the hood.

It’s official…

I am now a resident of the fine State of Washington…  can’t tell you how difficult it was emotionally to do that… it was.  I LOVE Alaska! I am going to miss Alaska..

Including my motorcycle endorsement... yeah!!!

We had a busy day today.  Good thing my work schedule is flexible right now because this adventure took the entire day.

We started off by meeting Comet and his mom at the Marymoor dog park.

Marymoor Park - off-leash dog park 2012-03-06: 3.5 mi, 1:43:15, 323 kCal, Pace 29:30 min/mi

Great walk today and the trees were FULL of blue Heron’s… it reminded me of what it is like in Juneau with the eagles. Learning to enjoy the different kind of beauty I am seeing now.

Heron's nesting in the trees... hard to see in this picture but it was amazing...

Tot is getting used to his new buddy Comet (who was remarkably similar to Tucker in behavior and energy).

Comet and Tot exploring "the grounds"

What a beautiful day…

After the dog park we headed to the DMV for our new drivers licenses, registered to vote and registered as organ donors.  From there we headed over to the vehicle licensing department to register our vehicle and ended up going to get a vehicle emissions test (I knew I’d have to do that…) and then back to vehicle registration… end result – new license plates and vehicle registration for Washington.

The bummer of this?  I’ll be doing it again once my divorce is final.  Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place – I can’t change my name until my divorce is final. The court denied my appeal for an order allowing me to use my new (former) name now and I had a limited amount of time to update my residency so I will end up having to pay for changing my name when it finally becomes official. Kinda sucks really.

I think it is time for a nap…

I LOVE Brussel Sprouts…

NEVER thought that would be coming out of my mouth.

Yummmmmmmmm......

I have had brussel sprouts three times in the past two weeks now… my very first taste was while traveling on the Alaska State Ferry MV Matanuska from Juneau to Bellingham during our move to “America”.

Why is it that we get ideas about food (or other things) where we develop an opinion without ever having tried it ourselves?

I’ll admit it, up until two weeks ago I had never tried a brussel sprout and I certainly turned my nose up at them whenever someone suggested that I try them. Why? I have absolutely NO IDEA.

I tried making my own tonight. They weren’t very good but I ate them anyway. One thing about getting back on “plan” is that I am focusing on eating more fruits and vegetables. I feel full and I am enjoying my food more.

Thinking about why I eat and when I eat, I am becoming more aware of my patterns.  Take today for instance.  I woke up and had to get someplace and found I was falling back into my old habits… “let’s just grab something out” = poor choices, even with the best intent. I almost did the same thing at lunch time but resisted and came home and fixed myself a fruit plate with some carrots and cheese.  I feel so much better with that choice… and I was FULL and SATISFIED! That led to better choices at dinner too… I see a pattern emerging here.

One day at a time. Fred, Tot and I have a date at the dog park with Comet and his mom tomorrow… Tot might even get a bath too… we’ll see.

Catching up with old friends…

Tot, Fred and I had a nice walk with an old classmate today and her dog Comet.  We decided to meet at Medina Park where there is an off-leash dog park and a couple of ponds.

1.98 mi walk, Medina Park - off-leash dog park 1:09:30 174 kCal 35:45 min/mi

We got out of the car and there was a breeze (felt windy and cold but I won’t go so far as to classify it as that severe).  We parked on the opposite side of the park where we had agreed to meet – at this point I am still direction challenged… East? Where’s that!?!

We walked across the park and found our play date… Tot immediately got growly and snappy with Comet, a very sweet Golden Retriever… very surprising because he has been doing so well with other dogs.  We put Comet back in the car and took a lap and then tried again.

This time it went much better.  Me thinks that Tot was jealous that his mom was paying attention to another dog… silly boy! Anyway, it was a nice walk.  Nice to catch up and reconnect.

We are easing in slowly to our new surroundings.  Haven’t been reaching out to people yet, still have a lot of unpacking to do, but we are committed to walking regularly and anyone who wants to join us is welcome to.

Today is the last day of my first week back “on plan“… I weigh in tomorrow and am a bit anxious to see if any of my changes are making a difference.  I do not carry very high expectations… I know it takes awhile to see changes and develop better habits.

I am happy that I have logged 6.76 miles this week and consistently tracked my food intake. That is a good start. I can be happy with that.

What day is it?

It’s a leap year… today is a day that only happens every four years so I guess our walk today is kind of special… kind of.

We woke up to snain here in Bellevue.  Not quite rain, definitely not snow… but the rest of the area is getting snow and rain.

Our walk today was at Robinswood Park.  A place where I used to run cross-country when I was in Jr. High and High School. I like the woods in that park. Winding trails that intertwine. Lot’s of activities in this park including a horse/ off leash dog area, barn, tennis courts, soccer and baseball fields.

Distance 1.19 mi, Duration 39:39, Pace 33:39, Speed 1.8 mi/h

It was windy in addition to rainy today. I am still feeling chilled, thinking that even though Juneau is in a rainforest Bellevue is damper overall.  Put my hood up on my sweatshirt and enjoyed the fresh air.

Off lead dog corral...

Not quite the open area at Marymoor Park but nice overall.

Tot and Fred "on the trail"...

The trail is a nice one… I love the woods. The trail is flat and mostly quiet, except for the car sounds from the nearby streets, and the airplanes above.  This is going to take some getting used to.

Silly Fred...love's to dress up his furry boy...

Poor Tot, Fred can’t resist dressing him up…

There are signs all over the park that read "do NOT feed the ducks"... guess she can't read.

The highlight of this walk… not really… there are signs everywhere that read “do NOT feed the ducks”… just as we were getting ready to head to the car a woman passed us on the trail and immediately started feeding the ducks.  I guess she can’t read.