half over

work has been extremely busy for me this week which is good, but there's no end in sight until this damn annual meeting is over next month (may 7)... the final program will go to the printer on monday, and i haven't even started on the hotel/exhibit signage... and then there will be a dozen or so last-minute projects - all of which will need to be done ASAP... gotta love it... the only light at the end of the tunnel right now, is looking forward to our honeymoon... =)

eric FINALLY bought our tickets for paris on sunday - that's as far as we've gotten but at least i know that i'll be driving around france may 14–29... we'll spend a day or so in the city and then it will be off to the countryside where i hope we just take our time, soak-up the scenery, and get some much needed R&R... we'll spend some time w/his host family (from college) but that's all i know right now... if anyone has some suggestions on places to stay in southern france - please let me know... i'm not looking for 4-star hotels - B&Bs would be nice... =)

work, honeymoon... that's about all that's been going on for me... besides going thru photos of my dad and starting to assemble things for the memorial service (may 2)... my sister was telling me about how much some newspapers charge to list an obituary - one is costing more than my dad's cremation - how insane is that!?!?! i'm in the wrong business, that's for sure... i spent some time w/my mom and brother on sunday - he found more pictures so we reminisced for a while and made fun of my mom's hair at the time... not that mine was any better, but you know what i mean... fun times... =)

eric's been away at a conference, but will be home tonight... i haven't watched any of our shows this week (breaking bad, LOST, and justified) so we'll have much to keep us busy... =)

 well, that's it for me... hope you're having a good week...

happy hump day...

thank-you

for all the well-wishes, kind thoughts, and comments... even though i have boughts were i get incredibly sad (like having to read my dad's obit), i have enjoyed going thru old photos, and remembering all the fun things we used to do when i was little... being that i was like an only-child (my brother is 14-years older and sister is 12-years older), he would take me everywhere with him... sometimes i'd ride in the back of his truck with my dog, sandy, and not have a care in the world... he'd take me to mcdonald's for breakfast on the weekends (occasionally) and then get yelled-at from my mom... he'd also take me to the local restaurant after school and we'd get milkshakes and grilled cheese samiches - no wonder i have a weight problem! i'm thankful to have memories like this and so many more... =)

work has picked-up because of our annual meeting (less than a month away) so that has helped... we worked in the garden today and planted 3 kinds of lettuce, spinach, green beans, snap peas, and a batch of volunteer potatoes... next week, we'll plant the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs... i cannot WAIT to have our first salad with lettuce from the garden - there's nothing like it... =)

tomorrow i'll be hanging out w/my mom and then having lunch with my brother... she made her annual easter candy (coconut and peanut butter) and he didn't get his share last week, so we're making a special trip... eric is going to atlanta for a conference tomorrow as well, so i'll have a few days to myself - always nice since that gives me ownership of the remote... ;)

we've also been talking about our honeymoon and need to get moving... eric's been looking online and will hopefully be able to use his amex points, esp. since he charged 75% of our wedding (which we paid-off in a month)... so far, we're looking at flying into paris on may 14th and then coming back on 29th and then we'll have memorial day weekend to recoup... i cannot wait! =)

hope you're having a great weekend and enjoying the sun...

loss for words

donald kessler
june 14, 1932 - april 6, 2010

my father finally lost his battle with Alzheimer's this morning, he was 2 months shy of turning 78... my sister had called on friday to say that his health had quickly deteriorated during the past week and that his lungs were full of fluid (from pneumonia)... the meds hadn't helped and he had also stopped eating so we pretty much knew at that point, it would be soon... my brother, my sister, and i spent the day with him on saturday - they had him on morphine to keep him comfortable - i'm not sure if he knew we were there or not... i'd like to think he did... eric and i spent the morning w/him on sunday and i had my chance to say goodbye... i can't even remember what i said, but it was hard - that's all i know... my sister was able to visit with him yesterday and the nurses were amazed that he was still going (esp. after not having any fluids or food for 3+ days)... his heart finally gave-out around 4am, and now he can finally rest in peace...

we are planning a memorial service for early may (since he's being cremated) and then he'll have full military honors before being buried... still seems odd to say, but that is reality...

i may not be on here as often... i'm still in shock and trying to stay busy, without crying... yes, im at work, but only because staying at home would be worse...

not-so-happy tuesday...

TGIT

today is my friday since the office is closed tomorrow (good friday)... my to-do list is growing, starting with a chiropractor appt. at 9:30 and then ending with shopping at IKEA with mom... as for everything in between - i have some errands that need taken care of (returns, dry cleaning, etc.) and would like to get the flowers planted in the front of the house... and even better - the weather is supposed to be gorgeous and in the low 80s... bring it on! =)

speaking of gorgeous - have any of you caught the new show justified on FX? my goodness - that timothy olyphant is quite the cutie-patootie... eric and i are really enjoying the show so far - it's a nice change from the usual cop/drama stuff that's on tv these days (and nothing like law & order)... check it out if you haven't already... =)

work has been busy, but i've made it to the gym 2x this week and plan on going for walk outside today... my walk/jog workout on monday went well and my foot seemed okay - i definitely had to go slow but was happy to complete 40-minutes... if can get my cardio back up to 3-4/week, i would be one, happy camper plus getting back to spinning on saturday is a great addition... =)

so what are your plans for easter weekend? eric and i plan on taking the harley out on saturday, we may venture to solomon's island, which is in southern maryland and on the water... the timing of all this, however, depends on when the directTV guy is done installing our new HD receivers and dish... i'm not sure about your area, but starting today - unless you have an HD receiver, you will no longer receive various channels... it sucks, but a fact of life so i'm hoping we don't lose any channels after the switch and gain some new ones! =)

as for easter - we plan on going to church w/my mom and then she's making dinner for us and prossilby my brother and his g/f... i offered to make a coconut, lime cheesecake (from a recipe she gave me) and am looking foward to just enjoying the day...

well, i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and holiday... enjoy the sun!