Just got word today that my adopted grandfather passed away on Friday.  My phone has been out of commission since Wednesday (thanks to my dynamic cat duo for managing to pull it into a glass of water–talent!) so I don’t know if anyone tried to contact me or not previously, but that doesn’t matter.  My mom, bless her heart, was thoughtful enough to Skype me instead of just emailing me.  More people should do that rather than hit the text button, but that’s a story for another day.  This post will focus on this wonderful man.

I met Wayne and his wife Delores when I was about 2-3.  I don’t recall this meeting, but I’m so blessed they came into my life.  They lived one house down the block from us.  We aren’t related, but they used to watch me when my parents had ball games and treated me as one of their own grandchildren.

My first memories of them were from the night before my middle sister was born: April 18. 1992. I had just turned 4. Easter was the next day and my family had all been planning on doing the traditional church service in your Easter best, egg hunting, and family meal thing.  That evening, my parents dropped me off to spend the night with “Grandma and Grandpa”–I’m sure I had known them previously, but my small brain vividly remembers this memory as the first with them.  I was in my zip up Little Mermaid footie pajamas (you know, those onesie deals that every adult thinks are cute now) and planned on sleeping on the couch.  I had no idea my new baby sister was about to be born.  I remember not sleeping well on the couch and crawling into bed between grandma and grandpa.

From then on, I was forever going to visit them.  Grandpa Wayne bought me my first tricycle. Not one of those cheap plastic trikes either.  It was pink metal and had a white seat with pink and green roses.  His favorite story was how I couldn’t make the turn to the house.  I would “pedal and pedal and pedal” but when I couldn’t turn to get to the porch, I’d get so frustrated.  He always laughed at that part.

I find myself remembering little bits and pieces of memories of him as I type.

He always smelled of Marlboro cigarettes, wood shavings, and aftershave.

I used to sit on his lap in his favorite old recliner playing with a solar powered calculator and a plastic magnify glass.

He always wore tall brown boots that would cover my entire leg when I tried to put them on.

He always drove to the coffee shop for cards and joe with the other old men.

He was always in the shop working on this or that.  He worked with wood and instilled a love of it within me as well.  He had every power tool known to man in that shop.  He was missing the tips of some of his fingers–I never asked him how, I always assumed it was from a slip on the table saw, but the could have been from his military days.

He made John Deere tractor bird houses and squirrel feeders out of pickle jars.

He mailed me a hammer, wood pieces, and nails for my birthday one year when we moved to Georgia.

Any time I would visit, my first stop was the shop to build something with him.  I have a miniature doll house with simple furniture we built together–with a working hinged door–and various other pieces we made on our visits. He always helped me measure and cut. He rarely let me use the drill press unsupervised. I have a model airplane he thought up on the spot painted in red, white, and blue.  He just started cutting out the shapes and within an hour or two, we had an airplane.  It is one of the few pieces to have survived my many moves.  It’s broken now, but the pieces are still intact and I plan to put it back together to hang from our future son’s ceiling. I keep a jewelry box we made together in my office.

I have many happy memories from my time spent with him.  He is family, even though he didn’t have to be.

In recent years, Alzheimer’s reared its ugly head again for one of my beloved grandparents. He was not himself and it hurt to see the changes again in someone else I loved. Grandma Dee, his wife, did what she could to keep him home, but he went to the care center in July–I was able to see them in March.  He didn’t have much time in the center (a blessing really).

I’m not sure how to talk to Grandma in the next few days.  My mother said she was feeling numb.  She wanted to feel something, but couldn’t.  As far as the disease had progressed, it’s not hard to see why.  In her mind, he was already gone.  I’m sure she will grieve.  It will just take some time to sink in.  She’s a wonderful lady and loved him very much.

It was easy to love him.  And that’s why it hurts so much to miss him right now.

Wish I was home for the funeral, but that’s impossible in the next few days with flights over $1000. So I’ll remember him my way.  With cheesy potatoes and Pepsi–staples when visiting him.

RIP Grandpa Wayne.  Thank you for teaching me so much and loving me when you didn’t have to even know me. I love you and miss you.

-A.

I’m extremely thrilled to update today.  It’s been a struggle to get things going lately (moving, settling in, job hunting, adding family members, medical issues, etc…) but we finally have PROGRESS.

As I sit here, with the dog plopped beside me and a certain orange tabby between the keyboard and me, I’m excited to knock a few things off of my previous post’s list.

Firstly, I have begun piecing together my sweatshirt quilt! My fancy new scissors made extremely quick work of about 60-75 old college/high school/travel hoodies.  Took a day to lay them out.  Didn’t start piecing them together for about an extra day or two.

Here’s what the layout will look like once it’s finished. Excuse the dog toys and cat tail…I can’t do anything in this living room without my four-legged helpers.

Wound up getting almost two rows together before running out of thread.  It’s just as well I did though.  Our electricity was out (again!) for 7 hours this morning.  I had a whole morning of doing other chores planned, but that went out the window and I have zero desire to do any of them now (I have to be in the right mood to clean this house….long story for another time).   It sounds like it’s taking a lot of time to do, but considering the size of this project (it’s already big enough to be a comforter on a full size bed), I’m chugging along at a great speed.  Not that I’m in ANY hurry, mind you. As I’ve been working, I’ve started to come up with more projects.

I keep my scraps in case I need to add a piece here or there to make the edges even.  While cutting out the graphics, I found my Audie boy curled up in the pile of scraps.  Maybe they smell like me, or maybe they still smell like my parents’ dog (the shirts were in their backroom while we figured out the whole wedding/moving thing), but either way, he was perfectly content to lay there.  This sparked the first idea. With these extra sweatshirt pieces, Audie is getting his own puppy blanket to put in his new airline carrier (more on that later).  It doesn’t have to be anything fancy for him, just something he can cuddle with.

Then I realized once I started the t-shirt quilt, I’d have a million more scraps (my t-shirts to cut are significantly more out of control than the sweatshirts–I have a huge cedar chest overflowing with them).  Here’s the next idea: tied rag rug.  I’ve been hunting an inexpensive rug for our house since we moved here (no carpet is a huge change for me and I miss it). I checked out Pier1 (yeah, MASSIVE mistake there.  Holy expensive price tag, Batman!) and saw this shaggy rag rug.  As soon as I saw it, I knew I could make one on my own for significantly less than retail price.  Thus, my new project idea was born. I am currently scouring the internet for the mesh canvas I’ll need for this huge undertaking (the rug will be 5′ x 7′ ideally).  I have a sinking feeling I might have to summon my will power and make a trip to the craft store–anyone who knows me, knows I can’t go to the craft store without breaking the bank.  Either way, I know I can spend less than the $250 price tag to make this thing happen.  I already have the fabric and the glue gun.  All I need is the mesh and mama’s off to the races!

Now that I have the creative juices flowing again (I’ve always been a creative type, thanks to a wonderful camp counselor who has inspired me in more ways than I can ever thank him enough for–I wasn’t even a camper when I worked with Captain Creativity. But that story is for another day), I keep finding fun projects all over the place.  After the quilts and rugs and doggie blankets, I have a huge bag of metal bottle caps just waiting to be up-cycled into a wind chime.  And wine bottles to turn into lamps/tiki style torches. And jars to be painted for my furbabies’ treats.

Needless to say, Pinterest is my go to for new craft ideas (though some of these I did think of on my own).

On to the other important progress!

I’m cautiously going to say that Audie is 99.9% done with potty training!  He has been doing so well! He now goes by the door and stares at you when he wants out.  Or he’ll get in your face to tell you now is the time. This new development is awesome since I’m home with him most of the time.  We are starting to put him in his carrier when we go places together so the mess will be confined.  The last two times we’ve been out, he hasn’t gone in his carrier at all.  I know this is fairly mundane news, but this pooch….he has a huge bladder so when he decides to go, it’s Niagra Falls type clean up.   He’s WAY too smart for his own good though.  We’ve been bribing him with a treat after he goes outside to potty.  The little stinker has this figured out and will go out, do part of his business, come in for a treat, then 5 minutes later, he wants out to finish.  He has his daddy more whipped than me though.  I don’t let him come in before he finishes ALL of his stuff outside. Since I’m with him all the time, I know his schedule so I can plan on when I need to let him out for more than a quick one.  The Mister doesn’t know that and Audie milks it for all it’s worth!

So now we’ve checked two things off the goal list.  My plan for the back in shape stuff will likely start after Audie gets the green light from the vet to go for more walks–he needs one last booster that’ll be done in a couple of weeks.  Once he’s allowed to come outside the yard, I plan to at least walk him down along the beach every night.  Not a lot, but it is something.  He’s still leash training so once he’s got the hang of that, we’re switching to running.  He’s so high energy (thanks to his terrier mix), he needs to run as much as I do.  It’ll be good for us both.

Here’s to keeping up with these goals.  It’s a nice little routine and I want to keep going.

Anyone with suggestions for posts, let me know.  I want to start blogging more than my day-to-day business.  Lord knows I’m getting rather boring.

Cheers!

-A

With the new year finally underway, I figured it was time to set some new goals.  None of those resolutions that no one ever follows through with.  I don’t have any long term goals at the moment, but that could change.  The only reason I’m writing about this is because once it’s down and out in cyber space, I feel like I’ll be more likely to reach the end.

So here goes!

1. Get Audie completely potty trained. This dog has his challenges.  Being a rescue, traditional means of potty training do no good. As a former major pet store employee, I had to learn positive reinforcement techniques as part of proper training, so I’m using everything I learned to try to get this kid to go outside.  He’s SO close.  He knows it’s naughty to go in the house, but he still won’t go to the door or act like he wants out.  He does have some tells, so as long as I can keep up with him, we’ll get this licked yet!

2. Finish my t-shirt quilt.  I’ve been working on collecting shirts and cutting them out for about 3 years now.  I have yet to sew anything together, let alone plan the layout.  Since the job side of things isn’t playing out as I planned….I decided why not?

3. Find a new place to call our own.  Our lease isn’t up here until May, but we’ve already decided that we won’t be renewing it. We’ve had so many troubles with this house, it’s not worth the hassle for another two years–besides, rent is astronomical and utilities make me want to cry. So, I’m combing the housing market for a place that allows pets and is closer to post.  Plus, this place feels so institutional (seriously, it reminds us of an old dorm or barracks room–peel and stick 1970s tile, rubber baseboards, and peeling latex paint); we want something that feels more like a home.  Hopefully that will help us feel like we’re doing more than sleeping here until we PCS somewhere else.

4. Get back to C25K training.  Maybe I’ll even sign myself up for an actual race so I stick to it.  Now that the wisdom teeth are all sorted and I don’t think I’ll have any more issues health-wise, it’s time to really get back on the horse, so to speak.  Frankly, I just don’t want to go up a pant size.  Basically, I just want to feel better about this body I’m in, like I did before my last semester in college.  (Note: I’m not that out of shape, nor have I put on a ton of weight.  I’m just not built to put on more than a couple pounds, so those extra 7-8 are awful!)

5. Try to change my husband’s mind about starting a family.  I know it’s a long shot, but what can it hurt? He wants to wait until we get back to the mainland to start trying, but he’s changed his mind twice since we got here.  In September, he brought it up that we should start trying since our budget was finally under control.  Then we bought a car and he’s back to thinking we can wait–even though the budget is just as stable. He seems to have no trouble wanting to add animals to our clan, but kids of the two legged variety are the furthest thing from his mind.  Here’s to hoping I guess.

6. Bloom where I am planted.  Lately, the Mister and I have both been really burned out about living here.  It only intensified after my family left from their visit. Maybe it’s the house or the lack of a job for me or that we’re SO removed from everyone (we share a wall with our neighbors and have NEVER seen/met them)….but I’ve resolved to make the best out of the situation.  Don’t get me wrong, I realize this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It’s just really difficult when you feel absolutely no connection to those around you. So, I’ve decided to start doing things I love just to keep myself busy/relatively happy. That’s where the crafting and reading/writing will come in. Time to find a place to volunteer and maybe a church. You know it’s time for a change when you want desperately to bond with everyone from the gal who cuts your hair to the dental hygienist scraping your teeth.

These are all I’ve given much thought to.

Steps in the right direction:

* I ordered new (ridiculously expensive) fabric scissors so the t-shirt quilt WILL make some headway.

* Audie is being very cooperative lately with his potty habits (and he’ll be getting a kennel after the 15th for when the Mister and I want to leave for a few hours).

* I’ve already got my feelers out for a new place, just have to wait until the end of the lease gets closer to start scheduling visits etc.

* Seeing how ridiculously in shape my mother and middle sister are (and a SO not flattering photo of myself in a bathing suit), I just need the motivation to get out the front door to get going on the training.  I miss yoga, so I’m thinking I’ll pick that back up too.

* I’ll keep bringing up the subject of kids here and there.  It might become more feasible to him after we move to a new place with lower rent.  Otherwise, I’ll just get a fish tank or something…

* I’ve been out exploring more on my own with the new car and I’m remembering what it feels like to not be restricted to the house, so there is hope to enjoying SOMETHING while I’m here. My family visit left TONS of photos to sift through and I genuinely liked showing them around and being able to take pictures again.  So if worse comes to worst, I’ll just go out and shoot things with my trusty camera. At least life would be documented.

Oh! Before I forget…I finally got some photos up from the family excursion. No edits/enhancements/crops. Most aren’t even that great, but there’s a couple of gems in there, I just know it!

If you’re interested, the link is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashley_waid/

They’re all in the photostream or in sets based on location.  I will be adding more over from my Photobucket account (as they are VERY limited as to space, while Flickr is not) as the urge strikes–I ordered a bigger external hard drive so I need to transfer them all anyway.

The Photobucket links are here (I had to add another since the first one wasn’t letting me upload more):

http://s45.photobucket.com/user/still-not-clicking/library/

or

http://s1319.photobucket.com/user/ashleywaid/library/

In closing, If I can stick to even one of these, 2014 won’t be so bad!

Cheers.

-A. xoxo

Ah, yes.  I did indeed fall off the face of the earth the last couple of months.

I truly didn’t do much in November aside from cook my first Thanksgiving dinner solo for only two of us.  Needless to say, I can’t cook for just two people so we ate for a solid week and a half.

Oh! We did get a new puppy.  We brought Audie home about a week before Thanksgiving from a rescue group here on Oahu. We were told he is a lab mix, but he has far more terrier and possibly a little hound in him.  He won’t be nearly as big as we were gunning for.  But he’s adorable and I’m loving the addition.

Other than that, November was fairly calm.  I took the Mister out shopping for the first time on Black Friday.  He was not impressed and told me he wasn’t going next year. Apart from that, we have our hands full with three fur kids now.  We are still working feverishly to get this little guy completely potty trained, but he’s doing well!

December was a little more exciting.

My family came for two whole weeks! I haven’t seen any of them in person since the week after our wedding.  My mother is essentially my best friend so I was truly needing her here more than anything.  I took them around to various places on Oahu–a good chunk of them new to me as well. I took far too many photos and have yet to get around to posting them (the family left on NYE and I’m still trying to cope/find my house). Once I do, I will gladly post a link.

I realized after dropping them off at the airport and sobbing the whole way home–NOT recommended as I was driving–exactly how cut off from everyone we know we are here.  His family is in North Carolina/Alabama, my family is in Nebraska/Iowa, and our friends span the entire contiguous United States as well as a sprinkling throughout Europe/Australia. We are the odd men out.  It’ safe to say our “honeymoon phase” for living here is over.  We have about 29 more months here…So I’m really focusing all of my energy back into finding a job–still unsuccessful, more on that later–and finding us a place that feels more like a home. With just us here, we really need to find something that connects us or we’re in for an ungodly long remainder of the tour.

As I said, the job market is abysmal. Since I have a degree, I can no longer just pick up a part time job willy-nilly.  I’m vastly overqualified, but I’m also incredibly bored and would LOVE something to occupy my time–if it happens to be the same job I had in college, so be it.  But other than that, it’s the extreme lack of opportunities on this island.  With the economy in the crapper still, I’m hard pressed to hop in anywhere, especially because I am not a local.  I truly feel like I am living in Georgia again–I am the minority. I’m used to working all the time, sometimes two or three jobs.  With nothing now, I’m becoming very rusty with communication and have a very low tolerance for some of the stuff I see while shopping in any retail setting. Not only that, but I’m a social creature.  I crave so much more than a few words with my animals/husband. I’m losing hope, but desperately trying not to.

In other news, welcoming in 2014 seems to be going smoothly.  I am hopeful for changes and clinging to whatever shred of positivity I might still possess.

Here’s to continuing on this path and seeing what happens next!

Cheers.

-A. xoxo