Long time no type

Wow, I can't believe how fast 7 months can go by! So much has happened and I have so many great photos. I'm going to try to do a little catching up over the next few weeks...

Josh Blue

Some of you may not know who Josh Blue is. He is a famous stand up comedian who makes fun of himself and his disability, Cerebral Palsy. I've known Josh for about 9 years now, since he was a student at The Evergreen State College. At the time, he needed my help with voice recognition software in the computer center and his dorm room. As a man with Cerebral Palsy, it is difficult for him to use his hands and arms to type, so he used his voice to write his papers through college. While at Evergreen, he started doing stand up comedy and really enjoyed it. He graduated in 2001.

Over five years later, I saw him perform in Seattle and got to spend a little time with him after the show. He won Last Comic Standing on NBC in 2007 so now my friend is 'famous.' It is much harder to reach him because his 'people' take care of most of his communication.

This week I got to see him perform both in Kirkland on Saturday and at Evergreen on Monday. I was invited to attend an alumni reception for him on Saturday before his show. My friend John and I went to the reception and I actually got some time to visit with him. I held his plate for him while we got ourselves some dinner. He was cracking me up because his use of tongs isn't any better than a keyboard, so we dropped a lot of food on the buffet table and floor. :) (As a side note, oyster shooters were served throughout the night and I finally got up the nerve to try one, or two. They aren't anything I'd want to order, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...)


Then on Monday, he came to my office to see me and I wasn't there! So, I ended up using tickets I'd purchased for someone else who couldn't go. I had a great time! Josh and I got another chance to visit after the show. He sure has matured since he was a college student - and next month he's going to be a daddy!

Enough

I got the following story via email. The message touched me and I thought it was worth repeating and sharing. So here it is:

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.

Standing near the security gate, they hugged, and the mother said, "I love you, and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom ."

They kissed, and the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?"

"I am old, and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead, and the reality is - her next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

"When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, and she smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them."

Then, turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.


I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.


Then, she began to cry, and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire life to forget them.

May you always have ENOUGH!

San Diego girls' weekend

I had another chance to visit San Diego last month with my friends and fellow Sensaria leaders. The weather was a bit nicer than it was in November and I especially enjoyed seeing the sun, eating outside and spending time with some of my favorite people!

Angie and I took a mid-day flight from Seattle and ended up there a couple of hours before Cami and Stephanie, who'd left Olympia a couple hours before us due to airplane trouble. We got checked in and walked to Sea Port Village until Cami and Stephanie got in. We rode the trolley back to the hotel which was great. We joined Nancy and others for dinner at McCormick and Schmicks in the hotel lobby. After dinner, Angie and I checked out a bar across the street. It was a very nice place even though it is called a Saloon. Before heading back to the room, we checked out a roof-top bar we'd been told about (I was planning to walk all the way across town to show everyone the roof-top bar at the W when we found out there was one right across the street at the Hard Rock Hotel.) It had a lot of comfy seating and several fire pits. We decided to come back the next night for drinks and dancing!

Cami and I planned to go running on Friday morning and Stephanie said she'd come along also. We were able to talk Angie into going with us so Steph and Angie walked while Cami and I ran most of the time. It was so wonderful to be out in the sunshine and fresh air! San Diego has a lot of paths set up for walking and running with beautiful trees, water features and flowers everywhere. Angie and I couldn't get over how many flowers were blooming - in January! :)

Jen had arrived, so we waited for her to check in and then went to lunch. We found a fabulous place not far from the hotel with outdoor seating called Rock Bottom Lobster. Most of us had a bowl with steak, chicken and shrimp. The shrimp especially were just amazing and there was enough left over from all of us to feed Toni when she got in. We then all walked to the mall and ended up at Macy's. I tried on some cute clothes and then Cami and I saw it... a beautiful sage green dress with spaghetti straps, beaded bodice, lace at the bottom with more beads, and a lace and beaded back. It was so gorgeous, but looked half our size - and it was the only one. I just couldn't put it back on the rack and decided to look at the tag to see if there was any way of fitting into it. It is actually my current size, so I tried it on. I found my Convention dress for July! I fits now and we all laughed at how many times before July I'll have to take it in. I plan to wait so I only have to take it in once. ;)

Just before the convention started, everyone on Tami's team (a fourth of the attendees) posed for a photo. Notice the Omni Dome and palm trees behind us. :)

Ryan and I texted back and forth on Thursday, but I didn't get to see him and Michael until Friday when the convention started. I decided to wear my 'hair' and got so many compliments I wore it all weekend.

Friday night a few of us went out to the roof-top bar. Thankfully my dance partner, Cindy, came with us. :) We see each other about twice a year and try to go dancing together at least once each time. My new rep and friend Kim from Oregon joined in the fun, too.

After this weekend, I realized how much personal growth I've experienced in the last few months - really the last three and a half years. I am learning to like myself, be as tolerant of myself as I am my friends and feel so much more present. Others commented how much more comfortable I seem being open emotionally. What is now clear to me is there are still some areas of my life where I am emotionally shut down. That and my fitness will be the focus of my 'work' this year...