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General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: Jill Marie on May 29, 2007, 11:31:06 pm

Title: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on May 29, 2007, 11:31:06 pm: While walking with my husband and our 2 dogs yesterday I spotted a patch of blue flowers that I had never seen before on a path we have walked on over the last few years. I pointed them out to my husband and he said he had never noticed them before either. As we walked we saw more and more of them lining the path. I realized at that moment how happy I was, because of the simple beauty of the flowers along with the sunshine, fresh air and the company of my husband and our dogs. That got me to thinking, what else do I enjoy seeing or doing? I started out the Memorial Weekend venting on this forum and now I would like to share some of my happier thoughts and welcome others to do the same. Perhaps you would like to explain in detail something you love to do, or make a list of things you like to do. It doesn't matter if it's something you did before your surgery and can no longer do or perhaps it's something you have come to enjoy after your surgery then again maybe it's something you have always liked to do but just do it in a different way now!

We walk our dogs at least 4 times a week, every day if the dogs had their way. We walk them in a ravine where we can keep an eye on them, they love to chase the rabbits and rock chucks. The path we were on yesterday is called the Centennial Trail and it is about 40 miles long, it winds through our city and along a river. We all sleep better when we have gone on a nice long walk.

I love gardending, vegetable gardens that is. We didn't plant one this year as we are redoing the landscaping in our backyard. Hopefully by the end of summer we will have a new deck, small swimming pool and a fish pond. My husband loves to work with his hands and create new things. Most of the materials we need for the projects come from bartering with others so who knows what will happen.

We bought a small camp trailer last Fall and are looking forward to taking it to our annual family reunion in July, we have attended the reunion every year for the last 23 years, except the year I had my surgery. Can't wait to roast a marshmellow and catch up with family friends.

In the Winter I go to the club to ride the bike and lift weights, it helps me keep in shape and helps me deal with stress. During the Summer I ride my bike on the Centennial Trail.

My Dad was in the Army during WWII and over the last 10 years I have tracked down some of his fellow Army buddies. We have attended 5 WWII Reunions. The most memorable was the one in D.C. where we visited the WWII Memorial.

We're looking forward to traveling in Europe when we retire! 8)
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: mema on May 30, 2007, 07:10:42 am: Jill Marie,

My husband and I have always had a hand in babysitting our grandkids, on a daily basis one or two at a time. We have five. We are looking to buy a travel trailer. My husband and I would like to see the Grand Canyon and other National Parks. My dream also has been to see Hollywood, because I am a movie buff. We also would like to take our grandkids camping.

I am a novice scrapbooker. I started past February doing a scrapbook for my sons 40th birthday. I love doing it so much. I feel like a little girl playing cutouts. And I've gotten pretty good restoring old pictures on the computer, with the help of my sister.

So I did one for her 50th birthday. I now have a son turing 40 in January, and a daughter to do. Hoping I can do one for all my grandkids. I always wanted a hobby and could never come up with anything that interested me. Whala! I love to scrapbook.

mema
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: matti on May 30, 2007, 10:59:17 pm: When my boys were little (20 or so years ago) we would go to the park everyday and all the way there, they were filled with so much excitement they could hardly contain themselves, such sweet memories. Fast forward 20 years and I am still going to the park everyday, but now it's a dog park with a labrador that is filled with so much excitement he can hardly contain himself. He howls and moans all the way there LOL So much fun to watch him run and play with doggie friends. It's the simple things in life that are truely the best!

Cheryl
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on May 30, 2007, 11:03:59 pm: Mema,

I'm jealous, we don't have any grandchildren yet, looking forward to all the fun we will have when we do. The Grand Canyon is high on our list as well.

I'm glad you found a hobby that brings joy to you and your family. Our youngest is in the Army and while he was deployed to Iraq his girlfriend made a scrapbook for him for his birthday, it had pictures of all his friends and family in it so he could feel closer to home when he looked at it. He bacame very ill while in Iraq and was flown to Landstuhl, Germany to recover. At one point we thought we would never see him again. The Army flew us to Germany and while there we posted on a sight called the Caring Bridge. Family and friends posted their well wishes there too! Our sons girlfriend gave me a scrapbook for my birthday with all the posts from the Caring Bridge in it. I look at the scrapbook every now and then and am so glad she made it for me as I'm sure your family appreciates those you made for them. Jill
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Boppie on May 31, 2007, 12:27:02 am: I love seeing smiles on my 6yo Grandson's faces. They are fraternal twins. They stick together like glue. Yesterday I visited the taller boy at home. He'd had his tonsils out. He was on the couch and he had a nice smile for me when I came in. This morning the smaller boy answered the phone and gave me a moment by moment report on his brother's progress and then he described his new bike reflectors that spin when you ride! It doesn't take much to make them happy. My problems seem so small when I am with those boys!
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Kathleen_Mc on May 31, 2007, 02:19:26 am: Happy parent moment....my daughter is 5 and in J.K., she bring home these very short readers and we read them together, up until the other day when she read on she had never had to me! Wow what an amasing mement as my son and I cheered, thank heavens I slowed down that day and took the time to read with her.
Kathleen
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on May 31, 2007, 10:19:35 pm: It was a long day at work, new it would be the last day of the month is always hectic. Anyway, I came here and read the posts and feel much better now. Cheryl I know what you mean about the dogs, we call our two are second set of children. I can picture you relaxing and enjoying watching the dogs have a great time. Boppie isn't it great to see things through the grandkids eyes, wish we could do it like they do. Kathleen you brought back wonderful memories for me, the boys reading for the first time, first bike ride, etc. Glad you got to enjoy the time with your son and daughter. Jill
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jeanlea on June 01, 2007, 08:57:25 pm: Today was my last day of school so I took my students to the local park to play for a while. While they were having fun I walked around the outer edge of the playground area on the little beam that surrounds it. I was so happy that I could do it! I even went on the merry-go-round. Afterwards I let them put their feet in the river which was very shallow. It was fun watching them all walking around trying to catch crayfish. What a nice memory.

Jean
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Windsong on June 01, 2007, 09:04:25 pm: Hi Jill,

I'm glad that you began this post.
The day i read it I had just come back from being at my summer shack where i relaxed and loved the blue flowers blooming... forget-me-knots. ...On my way home I thought about them and then thought about how even a memory of one happy experience visualized years later, can increase endorphins and make one feel better..... then i came here and clicked on and read your post.... all of that was a positive uplifting thing.

Thanks,
Windsong
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: ppearl214 on June 02, 2007, 06:14:49 am: now, this is the kind of thread I like :)

Ah... when it's peaceful in my house and the dog (my pug, Beanie) is sleeping up against me and when she takes a very deep breath, a funny "snort" is released..... I just smile......I giggle... it's just the way she snorts.....

Like you all have mentioned.... some of the simplest things in life sure bring the brighter side....

Phyl
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Battyp on June 02, 2007, 09:45:02 am: Jill Marie your blue flowers reminds me of the first time I saw the bluebonnets bloom in texas. They are gorgeous. There also illegal to pick which coming from FL I had no idea. Of course the day I chose to try to pick one was the day I had a poo poo behind me LOL

Mema can I send you the scrap book I've been trying to do since before I got sick. I keep thinking one day I'll get back to it. Hoping scrapbook materials do not rot LOL
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on June 04, 2007, 11:17:15 pm: Jean, It's amazing how one's happy day reminds another of a happy day then we all feel better. My husband and I went on several field trips with the boys when they were in school. Some to Riverfront Park in Spokane, WA where they held the 1974 Worlds Fair. They did a wonderful job of taking an old run down section of town and turning it into a beautiful park which includes a place to feed the ducks and a Merry go round from a defunct park that was here in the 50's & 60's. Congratulations on walking on the beam!

Windsong, are the flowers we saw perhaps Forget-me-knots, the ones we sawwe are now noticing EVERYWHERE we go, they are very small blue flowers with a yellow center on Very long stems? I love how we can enjoy something while we do it but get to enjoy it over and over again as we remember it.

Phyl, Gotta love cuddling with the dogs. I sleep with one curled up by my stomach, don't sleep well when he decides to sleep on his bed at the end of our bed. Every now and then he wimpers and wakes me up, I'm guessing he's wimpering because in his dreams he's chasing critters and having a blast!

Battyprincess, I will ask you the same question I asked Windsong, are the blue flowers I saw Bluebonnets? My husband wants to take some from along the trail we walk on but I don't want to get in trouble for picking them! Hope you are able to get back to the scrapbook, the ones I've seen are well worth the work. I need to get back to my photo albums, has nothing to do with my Tumor just hard to get motivated on such a big task.

Saturday I was busy cleaning house, doing laundry and taking out the trash, sounds great doesn't it? While outside I noticed that the birds were chirping up a storm so I glanced out into the yard to see what was going on. My husband had a little sprinkler going and the birds were having a bath, it was in the 90's so they were cooling off. I just stood there for a while and watched them flap there wings to cool off, made me wish I was a bird. I told my husband about it and he went out and filled the birdbath so they would have a place to cool off when he turned off the sprinkler. Friday night it was cooler outside than inside so we cooked franks on the grill and watched a movie on the laptop our youngest son got us for Christmas. During the boring parts of the movie we turned our eyes to the movie in the sky, lots & lots of stars dancing in the sky! Take Care, Jill Marie
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Sue on June 05, 2007, 12:54:59 am: Well, I can't decide if I feel better having read all your lovely posts, or worse! We don't have pets anymore, but we did for many years. Quite a few fond memories in regards to our various cats and dogs that have come and gone. We don't have grandchildren, but I have a young friend with 3 kids and I go to see her now and then and visit with her little kids. They are so cute. We don't travel a lot,(or as much as I'd like) but we used to have a beach house on the Oregon coast and went there for many years and had many nice memories there. After we sold our home there we then were able to explore other areas and I finally got my husband to take me north to see the San Juan Islands, Victoria BC and other towns in the Puget Sound area, like Port Townsend and Poulsbo. We had a wonderful vacation once and went to the San Juans and then over the mountains to see Leavenworth, WA and then up to Lake Chelan where we took a boat up to Stehekin, which was a fabulous trip. That's like the countries most remote National Park. If you want to see some pictures:

http://www.ladyofthelake.com/

Okay, I'm feeling a little better! Except for the grandkids thing. I get awfully sad about not being a grandmother. And there's not a whole lot I can do about that!

Thanks for the stroll down memory lane. It may not be Europe, but the Pacific NW has some wonderful scenic areas to enjoy and we haven't begun to explore this area yet.

Take care everyone,

Sue in Vancouver, WA USA
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Windsong on June 05, 2007, 04:13:43 pm: I am remembering a carefree day, zooming up the empty highway in Arizona to Sedona, radio on in a blue firebird, sun shining, sky so blue, space all around me, and the sounds of "Music Box Dancer" and then Blondie belting out "Heart of Glass" which had a great beat to it even if i don't recall the lyrics...lol... first trip there in '79...loved it....could see forever....
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on June 05, 2007, 11:09:33 pm: Sue, I understand the sadness of no pets and no grandchildren. We had a dog named Lex that our oldest son got us when he was in High School. He was like our 3rd child, closer to him than any pet we had ever had. He helped fill the gap when the boys moved out, however, he got hit by a truck a couple of years years later. That was the worse day of my life, worse than having a Tumor! My husband wanted to get another dog for us to love but I just couldn't do it. Eventually we ended up with two we adopted from a shelter. When they are gone we will be done with dogs so we can travel abroad. Once we're to old for that I'm sure we will head back to the shelter for more friends. As far as the grandkids go we don't have any either, our oldest has had a couple of long term relationships that didn't work out. The younger one is in the Military and hasn't been in one place long enough to find someone to settle down with. I haven't lost hope though!

Where was your beach house on the Oregon Coast? We were married in Ocean Shores, WA. My Uncle had a beach house there that we stayed in for our honeymoon. Haven't been to the San Juan Islands yet but considering the price of gas now I think we will be keeping closer to home than planned so we will put it on our list. In other words, as you say the NW is beautiful. We want to see Europe because we saw a bit of it when we went to Germany to be with our youngest son. It really gave us the traveling bug.

As for Lake Chelan, I checked out the web site and it is beautiful, we've seen a bit of it on our drive back from Seatlle when we take Whites Pass (think it's white's pass). My sister lives in Puyallup and she camps there every year with her co-workers and my Dad joins them too. We hope to meet up with them this year, they usually go in the Fall.

I've been through Vancouver more times than I can count. I grew up in Goldendale and have lots of relatives in Portland and use to have some in Camas. We drove my Mom to the doctors in Portland a lot also so we drove both the OR & WA sides crossing the Columbia River in varying places just to change the view.

Windsong, in my younger days my dream car was a 60's or early 70's Red/Orange or Deep Blue Firebird, I can see you riding in it and having a great time!
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Sue on June 06, 2007, 12:28:34 am: Hi Jill,

Our place was in Manzanita, south of Cannon Beach. Lots of memories there, that's for sure. We had two cats and one dog when we had our place. We'd all go for walks near our house, even the cats! When they were just putting in the golf course below our house, we'd all go down there to walk and explore. We were standing in one area and sampling some wild blackberries and that's when we saw our dog, very carefully eating blackberries and avoiding the stickers. I thought that was the funniest thing!

We were able to bring one child into the world, a son...so all our eggs are in one basket, as it were. I guess we should have worked harder to get a second child, although that's no guarantee for grandkids per your reply! My husband's brother has 3 kids....no grandkids from them either. *sigh* It would be fun to have some little ones at the family gatherings. It's kind of boring with just us old folks and the X-generation and no babies to play with. Our son has a German Shepard that we love on, and when they got a Chihuahua, you'd think we
stuck gold! She's the baby of the family but she doesn't cuddle much anymore...too busy.

Such is life. Anyway...memories are nice too. You just remember the fun times with the pets and not all the times that weren't so fun.

Sue
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Gennysmom on June 06, 2007, 01:14:06 pm: Jill Marie, great thread! I get so lost in this huge forum now, sometimes I miss out. Glad I found it.

One of my favorite things is to sit outside and listen to the birds. I have 3, and since I got them my interest in all things birds has increased ten fold. Before my surgery, I got a CD set of Western State bird call identification. I figured if I could do nothing else, I could use my recovery time to sit outside and hear the beautiful voices and be able to identify them even if I couldn't see them. Well, as it turned out, I had my surgery July 5th and couldn't tolerate bright light because of my paresis, so I didn't do that then, but I love to fill my days with it now. The thing that I am thankful for this tumor is that it forced me to clean off my busy plate, keep it clean, and also effect me enough cognitively that instead of going to a park and thinking "I need to get the bills paid, the floor scrubbed, and I need to remember to.....", I can go to a park and think "la la la, look at the pretty flowers and blue sky". It's not that I've become a simpleton, but I find that having some short term memory affected has made me more calm and able to enjoy things so I don't think of anything but enjoying the moment.

I am one of those darn only children that did not procreate, so I have no grandchildren either. I love to travel and plan to keep that up....I also try to live greenly, so I just will have to see how many eco-lodges I can find in the middle of nowhere...because after the surgery, that is where I want to be. Quietness and serenity are my new friends, and I tell ya, how bad could that be?
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Sue on June 23, 2007, 01:47:29 pm: Kathleen, you are too young to be a grandmother anyway!! ;D

We have lots of birds in our backyard now. Robins everywhere, finches flitting about, hummingbirds guzzling down the "juice", ocassional sqawking of crows, and the cry of hawks now and then. We've even had a Western Tanager show up a couple of times! We have most of all the "backyard" birds roaming around...even Downy woodpeckers. There are a pair of doves in the neighborhood also and you can hear them coo-coo-coo and sometimes they are in our yard.

Have fun bird watching!

Sue in Vancouver
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on June 25, 2007, 12:06:40 am: Sue & Gennysmom you would have loved our bike ride this week. My husband & I went on a 20 mile roundtrip bike ride afterwork. There is a bike/walk/rollerblade/horse path called the Cenntenial Trail about a mile from our home. The trail is about 30 miles long. Most of the trail that we rode along follows the Spokane River so we can watch those floating down the river in their rafts, kayaks & canoes. Along the way we saw bunny rabbits & rock chucks also known as Marmots, the part I like the best was seeing all the birds (don't know the names like you two do) and hearing them chirp and some seem to whistle at me, I took that as a compliment, he, he! When we got home I made a VERY quick dinner and took the rest of the evening off!
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Richey on June 25, 2007, 08:20:19 pm: It is good to hear some positive things. I was down for a while after my last MRI but I have come to understand that I have much to be thankful for and heard from a number of you that I should not be complaining about not getting all the results from my treatment that I expected. Anyway along the lines that have been expressed here I would like to say that my Wife and I have had great pleasure the last couple of years feeding the birds in the back yard. We have a pretty wide variety and they love the birdbath. This year we have had some wrens in our bluebird house that hard four eggs hatch and now we have the bluebirds with eggs in the house. They are so pretty and such a contrast to the many red cardinals that visit. Today I pressure washed the patio for painting and had to move a couple of the bird feeders. The birds got upset, they are very programmed after feeding at the same place for a while.

Thanks for the good vibes,

Rich
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on June 25, 2007, 11:46:15 pm: Hi Rich,

There was a thread going for a while about venting and quite a few of us took advantage of it, there you would be welcome to complain about not getting the results you were hoping for from your treatment. Sometimes we just need to be able to let the frustrations out even when we have lots to be thankful for. After you have vented the fog lifts and you can see the, Brighter Side of Life. It's wonderful when you realize the simple enjoyment of watching birds in a birdbath and care enough to notice that your painting has disturbed the birds daily routine. When we walk the dogs my husband is the one that always has the eyes and ears ready to detect birds and other creatures, I would miss a lot if he wasn't there. Jill
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: johnsli on June 26, 2007, 05:10:32 pm: I just got my results through my email from my dr. My AN has remained unchanged. Will have another MRI in Late December or Early January. That is the brighter side of my life. Now I can relax a little. Wait for my grandson to be born in late August to join my two beautiful granddaughters, 5 and 3. Go to Knoxville TN for the junior olympics for baton twirling, which was up in the air, and be able to sing and act in the next three performances in my theatre group and my chuch. That is what is important to me. My husband went back to work after 71/2 years since his accident. GOD is Great. I have a much more positive attitude since reading the posts on this forum. My hope and faith are much stronger. God will not give you more than you can handle.

LOL
Laura
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: marg on June 27, 2007, 06:45:05 pm: I am 6 weeks after AN surgery and enjoying so many things.... long walks with my husband again, my 2 adult daughters living at home until September, the sunny days we have been blessed with (I live in South West Washington state----- we really appreciate the sun when we get it :D ), The ability to still hear the birds with my 'good ear'... and mostly having survived the AN surgery so I can appreciate all these things and more.

I have discovered that even with all the adjustments to be made after surgery on a daily basis ... I am blessed and

LIFE IS GOOD LIFE IS GOOD LIFE IS GOOD

Margaret
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Battyp on June 27, 2007, 10:58:27 pm: Jill marie I'd need training wheels for a 20 mile bike ride!

Marg great attitude!

Sue I told my son he had to have three kids since I only was blessed with one. I wanted lots of grandbabies to spoil. Of coure I requested he finish college first LOL ;D
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: bikerchic on June 29, 2007, 09:37:20 pm: This is a great thread.

I just like being outside. I was admiring our neighbors new hydrangea plant it has a flower the size of my head. They just planted it last fall and I told my husband that would be a great plant to cut. He looked at me like I was crazy. We have hydrangeas in our back yard I think they look so beautiful that I can't cut my own. Oh well just a little guilty pleasure. My roses are coming up great to and I can't bring myself to cut them other than to dead head. When ever I am outside I have to run over by them just to smell them. The simple things in life are great.

Mel
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Gennysmom on July 09, 2007, 04:35:27 pm: Marg, where do you live...there's a few of us probably not too far from you! And Jill Marie, need to get over to your side of the state! I feel guilty for not visiting my friend near Reardon/Davenport, but it's out in the boonies with 2 kids under 3 and I just don't think I'm ready to do that yet.

My backyard birds are a family of Stellar's Jays...it's so funny because the young have fledged and have real scratchy not yet ready for prime time voices...There's the telephone bell like Dark-eyed Junco, the similar Rufus sided Towhee...2 kinds of Chickadee's with their chicka-de-de-de-de and fi fi fi, crows, starlings, robins, and the great sounds of the Flickers, the black-capped and song sparrows and occasionally there's the voice of a flycatcher. 1/2 of those I learned on sounds alone. Oh, and the nuthatch's nasal ank-ank. I love to lie in bed in the morning and count how many different voices I hear. I may be deaf in one ear and cringe at most human sounds, but all stresses are melted away at the sounds of my friendly outdoor neighbors!
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Rc Moser on July 13, 2007, 04:41:26 am: Seeing my boy graduate from College, Seeing him get a PhD in Synthetic Organic Cemistry. Finding a good job and now a good relationship :). Living long enough to become a Grandpa :) :), Could happen in the near future, they have a June 08 wedding planned. And of course a few more years with my spouse and on this earth. What else could I possible want ;D
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: Jill Marie on August 07, 2007, 11:03:07 pm: We took our new camp trailer on our maiden voyage a couple of weeks ago and didn't have any problems, cant wait to do it again. The bed folds out on the end of the trailer so you feel like your camping in a tent without the bumpy ground underneath and the bathroom isn't a few yards away during the night. Our first trip was to a family reunion that we've attended for 24 years, every year is fun in a different way. This year my sister Rhonda bought some color bright bracelets at the dollar store, they come in different colors and glow in the dark. She taped them to her clothes so it looked liked the outline of a body when it was dark. She danced and moved around as we requested, obviously you would have to see it to appreciate it, it was like looking at a stick figure. If you like to camp it's a great one for entertaining all the ages. We also used the glow sticks to light our way from the group campsite to our individual camp spots.

In a couple of days my Dad & I are heading for Pittsburgh to attend a WWII Reunion. We attended our first one in 2000 and it was the first time I flew on a plane and the first time I went somewhere without my husband since my Tumor surgery. I was use to him taking care of me and there I was taking care of my Dad. We had a really great time and have been to one in San Antonio, St. Louis, WA D.C., Louisville & now Pittsburgh. Will post the highlights when I get back.

Enjoy your Summer! Jill Marie :)
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: stevehernes on February 10, 2025, 06:59:06 am: Life is beautiful, no matter what challenges we have now in our lives. There will always be ups and downs, but shifting our focus to the positive aspects can make a huge difference in how we experience each day. I am trying to concentrate on the bright side now, paying more attention to the little things that bring joy—whether it’s a kind word from a friend, a peaceful walk outside, or a small personal ritual that adds happiness to my routine. One thing I’ve started doing is ordering flowers myself once a week from flying flowers (https://flying-flowers.pissedconsumer.com/customer-service.html). It’s such a simple gesture, but it makes my home feel warm, cozy, and inviting. Having fresh blooms around creates a calming atmosphere and serves as a beautiful reminder to appreciate the present moment.
Title: Re: The Brighter Side of Life!
Post by: DanFouratt on February 11, 2025, 08:14:13 pm: Steve, Thank you for posting on the older stream. It was great reading and I agree we have great lives.

Dan