The Adventures of Moving

For the past few years I have spent my summers in Utah to be closer to my kids. Then I head back to Washington for the school year to get work substituting in the schools. This year when I went back to Washington, I sat at home for two weeks with very little interaction, no work, and mostly political phone calls. There were the occasional calls from my aunt Donna but most of my interaction came from Facebook.That is when I finally felt, I am done here. It is time to move on to a new adventure and what an adventure it has been!

When I finally decided to move to Utah permanently, things started moving fast. I had a lot of time to pack, so I did a few boxes everyday. I made one dump run, overfilled my garbage can weekly and made at least 6 Goodwill runs.  When you have time to pack, you can pack things just the way you want. It was nice. Two of my dear friends from Redmond came over to Sequim to pack some of my kitchen and bookshelf. It was so fun to have them there and spend time together. Very few friends in Sequim offered to help box, and  by the time they did, it was to late and I was done. I don't think they realized how soon I was leaving.

I don't know how anyone tackles major events in their lives without a church family. When it came time to load the truck, Jeffrey had flown home to help me. The 16-18 year old boys from church and their leaders came to help. One of the leaders is my second cousin Vance Willis. He is an amazing packer! We packed a 27 foot U-Haul but it wasn't enough. I needed another 17' truck that I would drive. So the next day Jeffrey and Vance packed the small truck and we were finally ready to head out.

The first leg of the trip was from Sequim to Portland and it rained the entire way. I asked Jeffrey if he wanted to travel with the cat or dog. He chose the cat and I was glad. Our hotel nights with the animals were great. They were traveling pretty well and they behaved in the hotels-. The second day we went from east Portland to Burley, Idaho. It rain all the way to Boise and was a long day but having walkie talkies with us made it nice. Somewhere before crossing into Utah, Jeffrey heard a strange noise so we stopped and checked out the trucks but couldn't find anything wrong.

Two times after that cars driving by were trying to tell Jeffrey something about his van. We would stop and check it out but saw nothing. Upon returning the van to the U-Haul store, Chris and Jeffrey realized that the back inside tire was flat! We were so blessed not to have an accident driving with that flat!

So for now, I have 3/4 of my stuff in the new house that I don't own yet, 1/4 is in storage and a few odds and ends are with me. I have no idea where most of my clothes are, where any of my make-up is, and I am living in a basement with boxes surrounding me so I feel like I am in a cave with two animals! This is definitely and adventure.

How am I holding up with all this? Better at times. I have lost 8 pounds most likely from stress. I feel homeless (and if you know the 'Forgotten Carols' I am guessing you are singing right now like my kids keep doing.)  Honestly, it feels like I don't belong anywhere. Very strange feelings for me but that is honestly how I am feeling. Helpless, lost, unsure, nervous, displaced and sometimes sad.  It is all very strange, but I know it is just temporary.

Time To Move On From Mike's Dream To My Dreams

Mike was raised on a farm in the small town of Warden Washington. He loved the small town life. He always dreamed of moving the family out of the city and back to the country. When the opportunity came to move to Sequim Washington, he was excited. His dream was to build an auto shop on our property. "Mike's Right Auto Repair." He always believed in doing things the right way and the honest way. Honesty and integrity where very important to him.
He was never able to fill this dream and never made the move to Sequim with us. Rachel and I decided to stay in Sequim after his death. It was the best decision for Rachel and blessed her with so many opportunities and growth. After she left for college, it was a bit lonely here for me. I still had wonderful youth that would visit and join me for movie nights. In the summer, I would go to Utah to live near my married children then come back for the school year to substitute teach. I never really thought of leaving Sequim but was very lonely here.
This year when I returned home, I felt lost. It wasn't home anymore. I had no reason to be here. This was Mike's dream. What was mine? It didn't take me long to realize I needed to be near my children and grandchildren. This decision to move has been scary and filled with challenges. The market is bad and I will lose on the sale of my home from what I purchased it at. The economy is bad and moving may be crazy right now. I will have a mortgage on my new house until the one in Sequim sells and on a substitute salary, that is scary.  With all the doubts and fears, I know it is the right thing to do. I know the Lord is guiding me and leading the way. "Come what may, and love it," will continue to be my motto for life.
I will be leaving behind family and friends that have carried me though life over the last 5 years. It will be hard, but I know it is time to find my dream and live it and I know my dream will only be complete surrounded by my children and their families whom I truly love. So good-bye Sequim, good-bye Washington; it is time for me to find my dream and live it.

What Comes With Age? FUN TIMES!!!

Is 50 old? Nope! When my dad turned 50 he went snow skiing for the first time. I thought my dad was old and that he would break his neck. He didn't even fall, loved it, but never did it again.  50 still seemed old to my 10 year old brain.

Since I turned 50 a few years ago, (I know it is hard to believe) I have done some of the coolest things! Here is a quick list: 5K Dirty Dash (mud run), para sailed, cave swam, 5K Electric Night Run, zip lined, snorkeled, swam with dolphins and turtles, 5K Color Run, hiked to 2 waterfalls, several light houses and an animal refuge, 5K To Hell With Cancer, took a jet boat to the Na Pali Coast, wrote a book, 5K for CF, paddle boarded, walked all over France, Italy, Washington DC, Danmark, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Finland, Estonia, and kayaked in the ocean!

So all of you young people that think 50 is old, think again. My muscles ache and I get tired and sore easier but life is great. I have money and time to do things I have never done before. So don’t feel like getting old will limit your adventures, just keep on truckin, even if it is at a slower pace!

So what is my next adventure? I have another 5K coming up, 2014 Central America and the ruins, 2015 South America and the Antarctica! The adventures will stop when my heart does…even if that means wheelchair races in a rest home! LOL

Life, People, Reassurance, and Trusting God

It was recently brought to my attention that there are a few that feel I tend to hang out with youth more than adults because I like the ‘drama’ and being involved in it. When I first heard this, I laughed because it couldn't be farther from the truth. Then it kind of hurt.

My personality is such that I am a youthful person; I see life a lot differently than most adults. I am open and honest and not uptight, so most youth feel comfortable around me. Working at a school, working with the youth at church and having the means to provide activities at my home allows for a lot of youth to walk through my doors. And with life, unfortunately often comes drama. Do I search it out and want to be in the middle of it? Not at all. If that were the case, I would spend all my time backstage with the youth during a theatre production instead of in the lobby.  When youth are at my home and it is getting late, I remind them to check in with their parents and then trust that they have. When youth come for a movie night, I trust they have picked a good movie for the group, but that doesn't always happen.

I have had youth break into my home to pull ‘pranks,’ take my car without permission, rough house way beyond normal in my home, steal, and lie to me. I try to teach them lovingly where the boundaries are and what is and isn't appropriate. Some learn, some don’t. On the other hand, I have had the privilege of late night gospel talks and providing a safe place for kids to hang out in a town with not much for them to do.  I have been praised and I have been criticized for this. That is okay, I have been blessed by Heavenly Father to know what I am supposed to do concerning youth and I try to follow that.

I asked a few people, adults and youth, what they thought of a statement like that about me wanting to be at the center of the drama. They too laughed and didn't feel it was true. That was reassuring.  So I asked them why they think it is I tend to ‘hang out’ as some would call it with youth more than adults. I was touched to hear them say things like: “you listen to us and don’t jump to conclusions,” “you trust us.” “You show us and our ideas respect,” “you go out of your way to help one of us in need.” These phrases were very kind of others to say and I hope they are true. I would love to be that kind of person. I often say I hang out with youth because I have no life. That isn't entirely true. I have a wonderful life. I love the opportunities I am blessed with to help people and travel. My children and their spouses like having me around so I know I am not overbearing and a pain! I go out of my way to give them the space and privacy that they need even when we travel together. If they ask my advice, they know I will give it, but if they don’t, I really try to stay out of their way. As a mother, that can be hard sometimes. But I must be doing things right because they all like having me around.

Thankfully, I am not one to place my faith in people. I place it in my God. What others say may hurt for a bit but what matters is my relationship with God. There are those in this life who have hurt me and I forgive them. That doesn't mean I have to trust them or spend time with them. To know I am doing His will and what is asked of me to the best of my ability is comforting. May we all be more kind with our words and forgiving in our relationships. Don’t judge others, leave that to God. 

What Legacy Are You Leaving For Your Posterity?

It's Pioneer Day in Utah. I can't help but think about my amazing ancestry and the sacrifices they made for me to be who I am and where I am.  I am thankful for my ancestors who fought for freedom in the Revolutionary & Civil War. I am thankful for strong women who came to this country, with children in tow, to start over. I am thankful to my pioneer ancestors who left the comforts of back east and other countries, to come out to Utah, California and Washington. I have an amazing heritage of strong, hard working, honest, people who have shaped my life. I am who I am because of them. I love reading their stories and learning about the life's they led. I find myself very blessed to be a part of my heritage.

So what can I do with this heritage now? How can I make a difference in the world because of who I am and who they where?

I guess the best start is to learn more about them. Go visit the places they passed through. I had the opportunity to go to Danmark this year where my Christophersen heritage is from. On the dock in Kopenhagen, there is a statue of a young girl who was leaving her homeland to head to America for religious purposes. The cobble stone along the dock has the names of other countrymen who left for the same reason. The name of my great great grandmother is there somewhere. I even have a history of their voyage and her strength. She moved with 4 small children and against all odds.

There is also my Willis line that moved west in the great migration because they were driven from their homes in the dead of winter by people who just didn't understand them. The stories of what they went through and the opposition they faced is moving. They had to farm land that wasn't irrigated, bury family members in shallow graves alone the trail, and endure invasions from Indians and Mexico.  In some ways, our lives are very easy.

I can't even imagine packing up 9 kids and all your belongings into a car and moving from New Hampshire to Washington State like my great grandparents did in 1905. Leaving a married daughter behind knowing that changes were they would never see her again. There is also the Firebaugh side of the family that left the Shenandoah Valley to move to California and start the first ferry across the San Joaquin River. And also the confusing and murderous controversy of the San Francisco Embarcadero that my family has claimed to have once owned.

To learn about my ancestry is exciting and intriguing. They have shaped who I am. Now it is my turn to make a mark in the world. What will I be remembered for? What stories will I write and leave behind? Or will I be forgotten in time? I love watch "Who Do You Think You Are?" and "The Story Trek." Both shows tell what impacts people can have on us and that we all have a story.

I hope I will be remembered for my smile, my integrity and my honesty. My ability to move forward as they did when all looked dark and lost. I hope I am being generous and kind to those I deal with and that I am seeing them as the wonderful people they are. When we look at people or other countries we tend to look for what is wrong. I hope I can be remembered for looking at what is right.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Think of what you can do in May for Mental Health Awareness Month. Everyone has someone in their life that suffers from mental illness. Make sure you let them know how wonderful this world is with them. This month if you buy my book 'Grace Under Pressure - Smiling Through Adversity' I will donate a portion of the sales to Bring Change 2 Mind. Read the article below to understand their mission.
Grace

MESSAGE FROM GLENN CLOSE and BRING CHANGE 2 MIND:

Many of you learned about Bring Change 2 Mind through our 2009 Public Service Announcement (PSA) directed by Ron Howard and filmed in New York’s majestic Grand Central Station. Thanks to generous media partners, and your outreach, our anti-stigma awareness message has been seen by an astounding 800 million people.

Our community is strong but we want our collective voice to be louder! In support of Mental Health Awareness Month this May, we’ve partnered with Time to Change, England’s largest program challenging mental health stigma and discrimination, to create a new PSA based on one of the U.K.’s most effective social media campaigns.

We need your help!

As we develop our new campaign, we’re looking to you to help us fund a small portion of the production. We’ve called in lots of favors but some fixed costs must be covered. With your donation, large or small, we will reach millions of new viewers. If you cannot contribute, we hope that you will continue to support BC2M by sharing our message, enlisting friends to take The Pledge and helping us grow our community through Facebook and Twitter.

Our message is based on the latest science.

Members of our Scientific Advisory Council have measured the efficacy of a Time to Change PSA prototype for an American audience. Data collected from this study shows increased understanding of the commonality of mental illness, a reduction in social distancing, and a strong belief that recovery is possible! We will reshoot the PSA featuring my family. Like 1 in 4 families affected by mental health disorders, we struggle through the challenging times and celebrate the good days.

It’s time to talk about mental illness and end stigma & discrimination. Thank you for your participation in our new campaign and your continued support of Bring Change 2 Mind!

With great appreciation,

Glenn Close

To show your support with a donation please click here

Or Mail Checks to: BC2M, 1265 Battery St. 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94111

In recognition of your contribution:

Gifts of $1,000+ will receive a BC2M Campaign Partner Certificate with my signature and special title credit in an online version of the PSA.

Gifts of $250+ will receive a collectible BC2M Campaign Partner certificate with my signature

Gifts of $100+ will receive a BC2M t-shirt

100% of your contribution will be put towards the PSA campaign and is fully tax deductible.

Celebrate Life to the Fullest - What's On Your Bucket List?

I know I have said this before, but I love my family! I had the opportunity to visit all my children and their families last month. They are lucky for the next 5 months to all live within 15 minutes of each other.

While I was visiting, I was able to watch my grandson Ethan for a few days. He patiently went to visit apartments with Rachel and I, so we took him to the aquarium as a reward. Fun times. He is a sweetheart. We always say to each other, "I love you to infinity and beyond."  Last month, he sent me his 'shadow' after reading the book "Flat Stanley" in preschool.  I took the shadow on several adventures and then returned him to Ethan with the journal of our time together. It was a lot of fun. We were glad to see his shadow still fit when we arrived.

Chris and Rachel moved after being with me for 4 months. It will be lonely here but I am so glad he was offered a wonderful job. They found an apartment and are settling in to their new life. I am glad she will be living near her siblings and hope they can spend some time together.

Another wonderful blessing arrived while I was visiting with everyone. My son and his wife now have a beautiful baby! He was 11 pounds and 1 ounce and mom had a rough time but they are all home and healthy. They named their son after both of their fathers. So we now have a new Michael Chumley in the family. He is adorable, big, and cute as can be. I can't wait to go back and hold him again.

As for me, lots of fun things are going on. I set a goal to do three 5K's this year and just finished my first one. I walk and try to jog a bit. It feels so good to feel healthy! I have lost 30 pounds and 8 inches since last October and feel great. I have less pain and my bursitis has hardly bothered me. I feel so good!

I received a pin today at the 5K that says, "Celebrate life to the fullest - What's on your bucket list?"  I had to laugh because I have done a lot of the things on my bucket list and need a new one! I love the phrase "Celebrate life to the fullest."  Life is short. Celebrate the good and find the happiness that surrounds us. I love visiting with friends and learning about their lives. With all of them, there have been tough times, but everyone of them that find the good in their tough times, are happy people. Life is tough. Life is hard. But if we can smile and find the good, we are so much happier and that radiates to the people around us. Someone recent asked me if I am always smiling. Well no, but I try and I actually practice smiling when no one is around! Yes my secret is out. I practice smiling!!! I smile while driving down the street, I smile while typing on the computer, and I smile when I am at home alone. And guess what? That smile seems to happen a lot more when I practice. Life is hard and we all go through pain, but we can still find ways to celebrate life to the fullest and smile along the way.

Another Valentine's Day Slips By

It is February again, and for those who know me, it is kind of a tough month. Sad to say February 7th went by without me even thinking about that as the day of my first date with Mike and the day he proposed 2 years after that first date. I am not sure if it is sad I didn't think about it or good that I am moving on...

Valentine's Day is always harder for those who don't have someone special to love.  My daughter and her husband are living with me temporarily so she made some amazing cupcakes and we shared them with people. Service always helps so we don't dwell on ourselves. That night, I dressed up  and went to a church dance with them. Most of the couples were older so Rachel and Chris didn't stay too long. I decided to stay and make some new friends. It was hard watching all the couples dance but at least I was visiting with people.When I came home, I found this on my bed. It was very touching, sweet and made my day! I love my kids and their spouses. Everyone wants to know they are loved. Most people NEED to know they are loved and not just on Valentine's Day but every day. "I LOVE YOU," may be the most important words you ever utter. Say it often.