Happy Thanksgiving Monday. Today I am thankful for my husband, Chris.
He can be fun and lighthearted. On the flip side he can be all business. He is smart. I am often amazed how he can hold all that information in his brain. He works hard. He is not afraid to take risks and often it is the secret to his success.
He is passionate about his dreams. He never lets setbacks keep him discouraged for long. His optimism is unwavering and he always full of hope.
Beyond that he is generous to many without pursing any acknowledgment or gratitude. He shows mercy and offers support to those who have hit bottom or need a helping hand.
He brings breakfast in bed and then cleans the kitchen. He chokes up over sentimental movies (more than I do). He can be mischievous.
He loves God. He loves his sons. He loves me.
He is a blessing (a favor or gift bestowed by God) and I am blessed to have shared so many Thanksgivings with him.
When will I get there? When will I first look to “give thanks in all circumstances”?
It is a difficult task. However, I find when I count my blessings first, I realized they far outweigh my troubles.
We never have continuous sunshine and blue skies. Storms come and toss us around but the sun returns and we are blessed with rainbows.
We see there is hope for healing and beauty after every storm.
Give thanks and keep looking up. As I read once ~ “that is where God puts the rainbows. “
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV
With the deepest love and gratitude, one person I am eternally thankful to is Chrissie. First and foremost, for loving me and my sons; for providing stability, for his hard work, for his generosity to others, for his optimism that never seems to fade, for loving me even when I was unlovable and never giving me reason to doubt that love. His love has helped me to trust again and not fear rejection or loss.
More importantly, I thank God for the big things and the small things in life. I thank him for provision, for showing me again and again that He is ever present. I thank him for the blue sky, for the peacefulness and beauty after the snow, for the multitude of flowers, for the people He has put on my path to help through this journey.
He arranged reconnections that brought parts of my family back together and chance meetings of friends in the most unlikely places. I thank him for the basics of life, food, shelter, friends. I thank Him that even though I toss and turn in my doubts, He never has given up on me.
“Thankful that in this ever changing world there are some things that remain the same and bring balance to my life. Day and night rise and fall; the seasons change, sunshine comes after rain, young people still fall in love, children are born and the old pass away. There is a rhythm and flow to life that encourages me to tune out the noise and remind myself I am not in control of these things but a never changing God is and He never forgets to take care of the details.” ~ Me 11/15/21
In 1991 Chris was working in Germany for a Redmond, WA based geotechnical company. He was transferred there to open and manage two new companies in Celle just south of Hamburg and in Claustal-Zellerfeld in the Harz Mountains.
When he left early in the year, we had a one year old son and a son just finishing his Junior year in High school. The plan was he would go, get things started, check out high schools and look for a place to live. I stayed behind while we put the house on the market and took care of organizing on this end.
Long story short, the company kept stalling on finalizing the move of our family and after a year of being apart the ultimatum was given ….. move my family here or… “or” won. So he said goodbye to folks in Germany and drove from Germany to London where he caught a flight home.
After successfully starting businesses for someone else in a foreign country, Chris decided to start a company for himself, be his own boss and in charge of his own destiny. His selling point to me was, “Worst case scenario, if it doesn’t work we’ll spend all our savings, and I’ll go out and get another job.”
With that SubTerra was incorporated on August 7, 1991 in our Redmond home. We chose our logo from an old photograph Chris had of the lighthouse at Beachy Head in England near where he grew up. Initially work came at a coal mine near Steamboat Springs, CO; at Yucca Mountain, NV with the nuclear waste disposal program; and abandoned mine reclamation and tunnel design work in WA state. SubTerra Engineering was started in the UK in 1992.
Josh and I travelled with him as he worked around the country, to Colorado, Nevada, Texas, Utah and overseas to the UK and Germany.
In 1995, we purchased a brick house in Kirkland across from Lake Washington where we went through the permitting process and renovations to convert it to an office. We hired an engineer, a geologist and a receptionist. Work for them was closer to home around Washington permitting local gravel pits and mining operations. Chris continued to work all around the country and abroad.
In 1999 we became a dealer for Instantel, a Canadian company that manufactured and sold seismographs for blast monitoring and construction vibrations. We hired another engineer and a technician who worked in the field monitoring at local mines and construction sites.
After several years in Kirkland we moved our offices out of Kirkland to a less crowded location. While we looked for a new permanent home we leased office space in the Preston Office Park just off I90 east of the city. By now we had two engineers, two geologist, two drafters and a receptionist/secretary. Joining this group was our old friend Howard Handewith who had retired from the Robbins Company. He worked part-time on tunnel projects in Singapore and on the Boston Outfall Tunnel project.
In 2000, just 9 years after incorporating we purchased a building in down town North Bend which became our permanent home. The building was built in 1950 and we spent 6 months renovating it and moved in permanently in March of 2001.
Since then North Bend has been our home base. Through all the up and downs of the past thirty-three years, we have seen blessings and trials, when the economy was slow just the right amount of work would walk through the door. In 2009 Chris began pursuing his passion of helping to advance a tunnel/water conduit to revive the Dead Sea project, this lead to opening SubT Engineers in Israel in 2014.
SubT Engineers has completed tunnel projects in Tel Aviv (Subway Redline), in Jerusalem (rock tunnels and blasting), and at other locations in Israel. SubT Engineers is the Licensed Engineer for the KoHav Ha Yarden Pumped Storage project adjacent to the Kinneret / Sea of Galilee and are currently working at Israel’s first Pumped storage Project located at Maale Gilboa (the Heights of Gilboa).
SubTerra, Inc. has now completed over 1,000 projects involving blast consulting, mining rock mechanics, shaft, tunnel and microtunnel design, geotechnical instrumentation, vibration monitoring and expert services for hundreds of clients. We work for owners, contractors, large engineering companies and Federal, State and local municipalities.
Chris continues to travel for work across the US, Europe, UK, The Republic of Georgia, Israel, and Canada. Chris and I have otherwise worked together in this adventure sitting about 20-ft apart for these 33 years.
He is well past the “normal” retirement age but continues his work. He is tireless, positive, sharp and always looking ahead. In addition to his hard work ethic, he serves on the board for a local organization that seeks to aid those in need of assistance and housing.
So after 33 years, we are working with a smaller crew but still working on large projects with other companies. We may have spent all our savings to get started, but this dream Chris had of working for himself, being his own boss, resulted in a successful small business that has done many great things around the world.
I am generally a very thankful person and have always made an effort to thank people for their kindness and the help they brought along my journey. In thinking about this question, the ones below stand out as those that brought significant changes in my life.
A few years, ago I was talking my Rabstor (rabbi+pastor) of the congregation I was attending about fathers and or lack of them. I told him I had one step-father who tried to fill the void and although he later left, he was there for 10 years. From the time I was 3 until I was 13, he was the only father figure in my life. He was a hard working man, doing mostly construction labor, but every penny he made he gave to support my mom and her three children.
During this discussion with my Rabstor, he asked me if I ever thanked him. Since he left when I was 13, I thought I probably had not. So the next week, I penned a long letter thanking him and acknowledging the sacrifices he made for us (me) and sent it. Whether he received it I am not sure, but it never came back. He would often call me on my birthday but the letter was never mentioned.
This is a weird one, but I thank my ex and the US Air Force. Even though it was a foolish young and backward way of thinking, the fact that we married young and left that small town in Texas probably was the beginning of me seeing the world with broader eyes.
The ex took me away from a situation that could have buried me in the same place and the Air Force gave us stability and took us places from the most south easterly state to the most north westerly state, and to developing countries overseas. I met people from all parts of the country and varied backgrounds, people who challenged my southern way of thinking and people who made me grateful for it. The Air Force also brought stability to our lives, financially, structurally and emotionally. It was a good life and I have many fond memories of the places we lived.
With the deepest love and gratitude, one I am eternally thankful to is Chris, my husband of 40 years. First and foremost, for loving me and my sons; for providing stability, for his hard work, for his generosity to others, for his optimism that never seems to fade, for loving me even when I was unlovable and never giving me reason to doubt that love. His love has helped me to trust again and not fear rejection or loss.
Lastly, everyday I thank God for the big things and the small things in life. I thank him for provision, for showing me again and again that He is ever present. I thank him for the blue sky, for the peacefulness and beauty after the snow, for the multitude of flowers, for the people He has put on my path to help through this journey. He arranged reconnections that brought parts of my family back together and chance meetings of friends in the most unlikely places. I thank him for the basics of life, even warm showers. I thank Him that even though I toss and turn in my doubts, He never has given up on me.
“Thankful that in this ever changing world there are some things that remain the same and bring balance to my life. Day and night rise and fall; the seasons change, sunshine comes after rain, young people still fall in love, children are born and the old pass away. There is a rhythm and flow to life that encourages me to tune out the noise and remind myself I am not in control of these things but a never changing God is and He never forgets to take care of the details.” ~ Me 11/ 15/ 2021
It’s Valentine’s Day and I look across my desk and see a Valentine’s card that has been tucked in by my phone for five years. It is the last Valentine I got from my mother.
I reach over, pick it up and look inside. The words on the card were not mushy or full of fluff — it was simple wish for my happiness. She signed it, “I love you, Me”
I have shared my thoughts on Valentine’s day in the past. I am neither for it or opposed to it. I do know it is hard day for many people who feel alone, lost and unloved and that makes me sad.
~ Much love to all who have lost loved ones during this year. May may your heart be touch by a sweet memory.
~ Much love to the single moms and dads who are providing a loving home for your family with all the strength it takes.
~ Much love to all those who are lost and lonely on the streets, in shelters or just alone, alone with no one beside them.
~ Much love to all the elderly who feel forgotten.
~ Much love to the Veteran who still carries a burden for his lost friends.
~ Much love to the first responders as they are often witness to the lack of love in the world.
~ Much love to all of you who caring for your elderly parents whose minds and memories are fading away.
My wish for you all is the same as the wish in my card.
“Whatever makes you Happy, whatever makes you feel loved”… “That’s what Valentine’s Day should be…”
May you all receive a tangible sign today that you are loved.
Thinking of you Mother ❤️ Now nine months since you made your final journey.
Heading back to work tomorrow after 10 glorious days off. Ten peaceful, stress-free days in my PJ’s.
I did not really plan to stay in my PJ’s for ten days but on Christmas day the snow started falling and by the next evening there was a foot of snow covering the ground. Son and daughter-in-law cancelled visit due to dangerous road conditions. So hubby smoked a turkey and we, for the first time in 40 years, had dinner alone and with me in my PJ’s.
On Monday, I was scheduled to return to work, but the snow was still falling and the boss (hubby) said not to bother coming in. I am feeling like a lazy sloth so I made a coffee, had a little breakfast, and in my PJ’s watched Netflix on the Behemoth from my bed aka my nest.
Just for the sake if not having to repeat myself here, I did shower and put on fresh PJ’s daily. I mean really, I am being lazy but I’m not a pig. To top off the day I ate leftover creamed spinach and dressing for dinner, also from my nest.
The next day I gathered all that work I had brought home on the 23rd spread it out all over my nest, propped my laptop on the pillow and finished the invoicing as I continued to binged watch movies. All that work tired me out so I then took a 2 hour nap. However, “note to self” working in one’s PJ’s is much less stressful.
Wednesday, still in my PJ’s, I run down to the front porch and take pictures of the snow. Back upstairs, I look out the window and see the elk herd. They look baffled by all the cold white stuff on the ground. They are hungry. They settled for plants, like the bamboo, that are normally on their “do not eat” list.
Thursday, I got a call that my mom’s favorite brother-in-law had gained his wings. Uncle Johnny, the last of his generation. Now with his lovely wife who went before him two years ago, my mom and his brother. Sad ending to the year but he was no longer happy here. I took a deep breath and shed some tears. I certainly am not getting out of my PJ’s today.
Friday, the last day of 2021. Still over a foot of snow and the temperature is in the low 20’s so it is not going away anytime soon. I did manage to do more than lay around and watch Netflix. I was expecting guests on New Year’s Day so I got up and cleared the dining room, put on a festive table cloth that has amber beads around the edge and vacuumed. I organized the meal ingredients ready for preparation tomorrow.
I am still worried about the roads as the snow had started up again. I make a mental note to let my friends know if they are worried about weather, I would understand if they canceled. No sooner does that thought cross my mind than I get an email from friends that they are not well and thought it better to cancel and not share germs.
So hey, time to relax. I start reflecting on a post from New Year’s in 2012, those thoughts end up as the last blog post in 2021. Hubby and I manage to stay up until midnight and cheer in the new year — with a little 7 up and Chambord. The fireworks start and we call it a night.
Along with the very hungry elk, here in the Pacific Northwest we have Anna hummingbirds that live here year round. We put out feeders even in winter, with the below freezing temperatures we bring them in at night put them back out early in the morning. Well, too much Chambord maybe because we forgot to bring them in last night and found this big frozen icicle in the morning. The hummers were not amused, I hear their chit-chit-chit from the nearby trees as I retrieve the frozen mess.
I prepared the traditional black-eye peas for lunch with a side of prime rib and potatoes. No guests, but hubby and I enjoy New Year’s feast together, again alone, for the first time in 40 years. The first time in my PJ’s as well. Good thing too because after that meal the food coma set in and I was forced to take a long winter’s nap.
If you have made it this far, I commend you. It is a long boring story but really, what did you expect from a title that states someone spent 10 days in their PJ’s?
I refuse to feel guilty. I needed this time to reset, 2021 was a tough year. I lost six friends this year and my mom but on the happier side I also became a great-grandmother. I managed, by the grace of God, to stay healthy even though I traveled quite a bit. I still have work, a home, food, transportation, family, and a drawer full of PJ’s. I am blessed.
Last week my dear husband tells me he is going to come into work late because he has a delivery coming. Imagine my sobering surprise when he informs me that he purchased a 75” Q800T QLED TV. Chris’s choices and decisions have always followed the motto – Go-Big or Go-Home. Why should he change now?
Now mind you we have no TV in our living room, a medium size TV on my dresser and hubby already has a big 65” TV in his man cave. I ask why? Why? Why do we need this big thing?
My sobering surprise quickly turned to complete shock when he informed me he was going to put it in the bedroom, on top of my 6 ft wide dresser. It will be awesome he insists and it’s a smart TV we can hook our computers up to it.
When I arrived home, it was here, in the hallway; the box was as large as a twin bed. It is even more massive than I envisioned, what one might call Texas-sized. I grew up in Texas and they are proud of the slogan “Everything is Bigger in Texas.”
This TV is against everything I am comfortable with — being subtle, understated, quiet and doing everything you can to not stand out or be noticed. Even so, I do not protest. I’ll tell you why, because Chris works hard, and if this big TV makes him happy then I am happy for him to have it. Chris will be 70 soon and over the past few years advancing age makes one realize life is short – a reminder to not sweat the small stuff. Although, this TV is big, very big, its presence in my bedroom is insignificant… not worth a battle, small stuff.
This morning we installed this behemoth. I’ll spare you the details of two senior citizens pushing and pulling it up a flight of stairs with a 45° turn near the top, or the details of me lifting it shoulder high to get it on top of my dresser with my frozen shoulder or after 1.5 hours spent setting up and being unable to sync to Comcast. It finally connects… then we learn the cable system was down. What timing.
So my Texas-sized 75” Q800T QLED is firmly on it’s 40” pedestal (my dresser) and it is awesome. Watching from my adjustable bed which is only 4’ away is like be front and center at a Texas drive-in theater. All we need are the swing sets and monkey bars out front for the kids and the popcorn. Don’t forget the popcorn.
I came across this photo I took on this day three years ago. It is a picture of a tiny fern growing underneath a concrete ledge.
The amazing thing about this fern is that the ledge where it is growing is on the 47th floor of the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle, 449 ft above the city.
At the time I took this photo, I was struck by the ability of such a small plant to take root and grow in a thin crack of concrete. How far and how high did the spores need to travel to reach this lofty height and settle in? No fertilizer, no special care or tending just sun and rain. I know rain seems to be in abundance in Seattle but this fern had most likely rooted during the warm summer. Did it sustain itself from the fog and warm moist ocean air that came in from the Puget Sound? How exactly did it find that “one spot” to lodge itself, take root and hold on in the winds that blow in off the water that are aided and strengthened by the effects of the Olympic Mountains? The answer, only my conclusion and insight here; Life and the will to survive is strong and even a fern finds a way to carry on.
It is a promising sign that even in the harshest circumstances life will find a way to thrive. Living in this time of lockdowns and corona virus where many are afraid for the future. Take heart because just like this little fern, growing under the ledge on the 47th floor of the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle, we will find a way to adapt and persevere even though it’s not always easy.
I saw recently where someone wrote, “I am and always will be anever Trumper.”When I first saw it I read “AN EVER” … I thought that’s an interesting way to support the president reversing the phrase. Then I realized they were really saying “A NEVER” unless it was an interesting parapraxis.
What a difference a space makes. A space that can turn something positive into a negative. I was intrigued by this little typo and wondered if i was “an ever” or “ a never”
I want to be AN EVER faithful friend, an ever hopeful person with an ever positive outlook, someone an ever joyful heart, with an ever song on my heart and be an ever believer in the living God.
I pray I do not fall into the A NEVER side of life, a never happy spirit, a never loyal friend, a never helpful person, a never kind word to say, a never respecter of life, a never believer in a higher power.
The space before the “N” or after the “N” may determine your fate. Decide before “the end” because after will be too late.
Watercolor Image by Stephanie Ryan from 2019 Gratitude Calendar
Warning.Old ladies must be careful and stop at all intersections. I got a call this morning… someone asking me to take them to the ER in Issaquah. We got there at 9 by 11:30 the doctors had decided to do a test and they asked me to step out of the room.
I came out and started down one of those long hospital corridors when all of a sudden BAM… I felt like I was hit by a bus. I went flying across that 10ft hallway, landed on my arse, and hit the wall with my head. It was not a big yellow bus, but it was a young 6’ something Justin-bus of the human male species.
A lady came running out if the ER and after a few minutes and accessing everything, I got up.She asked me if I wanted to see a doctor but my thought process said no – they were swamped and other than my wounded sense of dignity, and a sore wrist, hip and head everything still moved.I didn’t want to waste time for someone to say, “Looks like you got knocked on your rear!” Therefore, I declined.
I could make some comparisons here, such as, the other intersections in life that catch you off guard. The loss of a loved one, a tragic diagnosis, dealing with aging parents, aging and retirement. These intersections should also be approach with caution. Take the time to look both ways and reflect on all possibilities and outcomes. Should you get sidelined, stop, take a deep breath, pick yourself up and move forward. Life is a highway with many crossroads. Proceed with caution but stay on the road to the final destination. And…
Something I remember from my youth, southern ladies draped in jewelry; a ring on every finger, some with two, bracelets up their arms and three or four necklaces of varying lengths. Gold, silver, diamonds and gems sparkling like a star filled night.
I’ve read, in looking at this phenomenon, that it’s possibly the flashy jewelry takes away from the “wrinkles, thinning hair and double chins” Interesting theory, but no.
Back then, in my schoolgirl days, I wondered if it was just an exhibition of wealth. These rich old ladies adorning themselves with jewels to show they’ve made it. Looking like a walking, talking jewelry store, jingle and jangling with every movement.
However, now that I am hitting my mid-sixties, I more fully understand. Each morning I get ready for work and put on my favorite daily-go-to-bracelet and I rotate a few favorite earrings and necklaces; three or four pieces and done. I wear the same basic things every day.
The amazing thing is that over the 37 years of marriage Chrissie has given me lots of fabulous baubles. Some I have not worn more than a handful of times, on “special occasions.” They are safely tucked away in their velvet boxes. Occasionally I check on them, open the box and admire them but almost never wear them. Too much for everyday I thought, but I lately I am thinking, “How many more special occasions will I have left in my lifetime? “ I should wear them more than one every now and then. I need to stack up on bracelets… maybe four one one arm two on the other. Either I am going to enjoy these baubles or they will just go to the next person down the line and to me they would have been just hidden treasures.
So here it is, the real reason old ladies wear lots of flashy jewelry is because we realize time is short and we realize there was no reason to save these baubles for special occasions. Everyday we old ladies wake up and put our feet on the floor and face the day, it is, a special occasion. So here we come, love or not, we are going to sparkle and shine.
“I can do anything” I even repaired my washing machine that would not drain or spin. I looked up the error code it said the drain was either clogged or there was something wrong with the pump.
With a little held from a Youtube video I took the back off, took apart the drains —- nothing in the drain. Took the pump off (by myself) and found there was a quarter in the pump. How it got in there, I don’t know because it was wider than the inlet and outlet.
I was trying to decide how to disassemble the pump when my friend Ross showed up, he took the top off the pump and removed the quarter. Then I reassembled everything!
Cheers to all the many hands-on women out there who overcome challenges and do what they got to do to make their way.
I was very pleased; for one, the washer is intimidating and number two, I had to use real tools not a butter knife!!
A lady came running out if the ER and after a few minutes and accessing everything, I got up.
Emyloom ~ Words Woven Within My Heart 