This is Now

The year is going by way too fast! It's almost June. The schools here have to go till the last week of June due to making up for snow days.

I've been doing some hiking, lots of walking, lots of baking and just having a lot of fun. There has also been a lot of spring cleaning yard work, putting in a small garden, planting flowers plus two trips to Utah in April and May.

I was able to spend Easter with Wayne and Andrea and the girls. It was so much fun. We had beautiful weather and we got to take the girls to an Easter egg hunt. Plus we got to ride the carousel downtown. We took lots of pictures in their Easter Sunday dresses.

St. George Children's Museum

 

My second trip to Utah was flying in to SLC to spend time with my sisters in Springville. We had a blast. We watched movies, ate, stayed up way too late talking, cleaned, went to a craft boutique, hung out with my daughter Natalie. Had a lot of fun.

I love a restaurant with scones on the menu for breakfast! Penny Ann's.

I must say I love spring time, the weather, the flowers, the rain. It's been great this year!

2/4/2019

Today I discovered yet another wonderful thing about being retired. It snowed last night, a lot. We didn't wake up to an alarm clock, we didn't have to go anywhere. I spent most of the morning in my sweats. After lunch I brushed my teeth and put on real clothes to go outdoors.

I spent a lot of the morning either exercising on my mini trampoline while watching TV or looking out the window watching the hummingbirds. They are so cute and fluffy in the winter, I just want to hold one in my hands for a minute.

I bundled up and went outdoors to help Wally shovel the driveway and the walkway so that when it freezes tonight we might have one less slippery spot.

And I took my camera out with me. I stood in the backyard watching one bird sitting in the top of my lilac tree. Every once in awhile he'd fly over to the feeder, or another bird would come get him and they would fly high into the trees.

Nature is amazing. No matter what season it is. It amazes me. Just one week ago I was outdoors on a hike. Today I'm sitting on the living room floor in front of the wood burning stove. 

Some days in retirement can be really busy. But not today. Today we hit pause, we relaxed, some things got done, other things will wait another day.

Finding shelter from the snow in the rhody plant.

I no longer remember where Wally got this metal pheasant from. It's attached to an old tree stump in the front yard. I just think it's funny and loved it in the snow!

There was so much buzzing around me while in the backyard trying to get hummingbird pictures. I wasn't sure where this guy was until I got the pictures on the computer. I try so hard to get them in flight, but they move so very fast!

1/1/19

Yep, that's right. It's now the year 2019. I haven't posted on my blog since May. But hey, you know, it's a new year. Time to change things up a bit.

2018 was an enjoyable year. I can say I'm well adjusted into retirement. 

I hiked once a month with the seniors and my friend Yvonne. What a wonderful way to explore this beautiful area which I've lived in for the last 30 years.

January Hike 

February was a fun trip to St. George for Bella's baby blessing and to spend time with Wayne and his family.

And we had a little bit of snow in February.

March brought signs of spring and more time to be outside.

In April I was able to spend time with my sisters and my daughter in Utah. I took a ham radio class and obtained my technician license. I also made a gadzillion pieces of chocolate for a volunteer luncheon at the senior center. Chocolate butterflies and chocolate bowls for fruit salad. It was quite the experience.

Also in April, Yvonne and I ventured north to the tulip fields. What a beautiful day that was. We took a lot of pictures.

May brought another trip to beautiful southern Utah. I was there on the last couple of days of school. We had a fun time. And the weather there is so nice in the spring time. The girls and I always enjoy making treats together.

June was our annual trip to the cabin on Henry's Lake with family. Wally and I went a few days early. We drove back home on I-90.

We tried to catch Steamboat Geyser but it just wasn't it's time! But boy there were a lot of tourist there!

In July I was able to attend a Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert at Benaroya Hall. That was pretty cool. 

Yvonne and I also went to Sequim the week before the lavender festival kicked off. What a sight that was. It was amazing.

Distilling oil

We also had a Gaytan/Ortiz family reunion.

Our hike in August took us to The Grove of the Patriarchs. What an amazing place just outside Rainier National Park.

August was also a family party in West Seattle, lunch with past coworkers, and a David Foster concert at Benaroya Hall. It was also my 13th annual back to school clothes shopping trip for Gisele and I. She is a senior this year. We started this as she was entering into kindergarten.

In September we traveled by train to Safeco Field and listened to President Nelson, his wife Wendy and Henry B. Eyring speak to over 45,000 saints in the area. What a special day that was.

Our September adventures continues as Wally and I packed the car for a 2 week road trip through Boise to Salt Lake and then on to St. George. We house/dog sat while Scott and Natalie went to Mexico. It was a fun time to visit with my friends and family along the way and who live in Salt Lake.

October we had special visitors when my childhood friend Gail and her husband Wayne came up for a weekend visit. We celebrated Wally's birthday and their anniversary. We enjoyed some exceptional fall weather and got to be outside. It was so much fun spending time with them.

 

November we had more visitors when Bart and Autumn and the girls came for a quick weekend trip. It's always so much fun to have them visit. We went out for Mexican food one night and pizza another night. They had a fun day trip to Seattle and the market.

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday and had a nice dinner and visit with Wally's girls, Tim and Gisele.

My brother and his wife came to town for Thanksgiving. I got to meet my great nephew Bodie. We had a fun visit.

December. Do you all remember what a busy month that was? Wow, it was non stop for me. But lots of fun. I made 600 pieces of caramel. If you didn't receive any from me, it might still happen. I even tracked how many pounds of butter I used in the month of December. I haven't tallied it up yet.

Christmas was nice. We had a yummy dinner and spent the afternoon with Melissa, Tim, Gisele and Carla. I was able to talk and text with family. 

Our December hike in Redmond was so cold. But it was worth it, it was so pretty to see the frost.

In December I did the Christmas Fun Run 5K. I walked/jogged it and came in 9th for my age group. I was pleased with my time. 

2018 was a good year. This really is just some of the highlights. There were birthdays, dinners out, gatherings with coworkers, time spent volunteering at the senior center, lots of baking, learning new things, lots of pictures, concerts, shows, National Geographic Events with my friend Chris, lots of church activities, fun with my hummingbirds and squirrels in my yard. 

I did purchase a ham radio in August and I join in a weekly emergency net check in. 

In 2019, I will continue to play as much as I can, keep Wally healthy and active, hit goal and become a lifetime member of WW, take more pictures (especially when I get together with friends and family), go to downtown Seattle more, continue hiking monthly, serve others in a variety of ways, share my time and talents, be a good friend, wife, Mom and grandma, bake homemade croissants, eat cake when I want to, be happy, make others happy when I can, go to the ocean. And whatever else strikes my fancy during the year.

Stay tuned, it's going to be a good ride!