In The Time I Have Left

      I read a very interesting blog post today during my lunch hour while I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cup of sugar-free hot chocolate...none of which I am allowed, but it's cold outside and I wanted something comforting, so I'm feeling ok about my lunch because I used sugar-free jam and sugar-free hot chocolate mix, and the peanut butter has protein, so let's not worry about that bread, right? 

     So...let me drop the link to this blog post right here so you can go visit him. I've been following Urspo for a while now and find his posts to be entertaining, enlightening and very often thought provoking, such as the one I've linked today.

     As I mentioned in my comment to him, my dad died at age 82, my mom will be 85 next month and I am currently 63, so I figure I have 20 years or so years of life left and that inspired this post and the title, "In the Time I Have Left."

     Let me begin by posting my comment to Urspo, "That's a good tip. I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to paying bills, so I've set up almost everything on auto pay so I don't have to worry about it. As I get older though, I find that I make excuses based on the length of time I have left in life. I'm 63 and my dad lived to be 82 and my mom who is still with me will be 85 next month...so I figure I have another 20 or so years to live. Given that I have such a small amount of time left, do I really want to spend that time cleaning my house or paying bills or doing yardwork? Or do I want to read amazing books and work on my art or write blog posts and watch as much football as the NFL can throw at me? (Ok, I changed up my comment from what I posted on his blog, let's call it creative license, or maybe it's the glass of wine I just finished...no matter, let's move on, shall we?)

     So...where was I going with this? Oh yes, the time I have left. Some might think that I should retire already, but I plan to work until I'm 72. I enjoy my job. Not every day...but most days. With the pandemic in play, I have been able to work from home since March of 2020. I've avoided that dreaded commute I had every morning and evening, so I've gained an hour and a half in my day, so why not earn that paycheck as long as possible right?

     Once I retire I figure I will have 10 to 12 more years of life and  hopefully I will have good health and the mental awareness to do the things I love to do. 

     When my dad retired, I remember like it was yesterday, he sat at the kitchen table dejected and sad, not knowing what to do with the rest of his day, the rest of his life. All he knew how to do was work and he loved what he did. My mom on the other hand loves to do beadwork and sew and read and shop, she's always been a very crafty, creative person. I like to think I got the best parts of  each of them, so I will work as long as I can, as my dad should have done and when I can't work anymore, I will paint and read and cook amazing soups, when and if I want to.

     So that is the plan for the rest of the time I have left...what is your plan? 

Halloween 2021 - Baby J and Baby Rose and their Nana

 A quick post just as a remembrance of Halloween this year. 

Last Halloween was sad because of Covid. We hard-core sheltered in, we have to because mom is 85 and her lungs are compromised. So no one was allowed in the house. They could visit, but outside, everyone with a mask and they had to sit 10 feet away from mom.

This year we've both had 2 vaccines and a booster and we feel like we can be a little bit more daring...not crazy daring, we're not hitting the clubs or anything, just opening up our home to family again. Maybe we will even host Christmas again this year...we will see, baby steps Alicia, baby steps.

So we got to see our beautiful, sweet, smart Baby J! I posted this photo on my blog on September 2014. She was about 5 months shy of becoming two years old. She's the first great grandchild my mom has been blessed with and she continues to be a blessing to us all. She's the daughter of my sister Lisa's firstborn son who is shown in the picture at his swearing in ceremony for law enforcement. He's still a peace officer today.

Well Baby J is mostly all grown up now. I believe she's going to be 9 in Feb of 2022 and she has a sidekick now, her little sister Baby Rose! Here's a picture of them this Halloween as their daddy brought them to visit their Nana. And even thought Baby Rose has not been as lucky as Baby J to visit Nana every week, there is still a strong bond. My dad used to say "la Sangre llama" which translated means "blood calls" and there is a strong call to my mom with all her grand and great grandchildren. 

Baby J is the big girl with the Mickey Mouse ears. She closed her eyes in this one, but I loved the expression on Baby Rose's face so I had to share it. Doesn't my mom look so happy!

Baby Rose was so cute, she would shout "Trick or Treat" and then reach into her bucket and give US candy! You can see my mom is enchanted with Baby Rose in this one. I should have taken a video so I could know what they were chatting about.

The face of my mom says it all! And guess what??? Next year for Halloween, there will be a new member to this family! A little man! Can't wait to meet him. Thank you Sean for always sharing your beautiful family with us! We love you all!