12 of 12 - June 2010

A sad 12 of 12 for me today, as I lost my father last week on the 3rd. To say that the last week has been difficult would, of course, be an understatement. It just seems unreal that it has been over a week since I've seen him or talked to him. I keep thinking he is just on a trip and will be home soon. I know I have a lot of rough days ahead of me as it all becomes real.

I appreciate the many kind words and displays of sympathy from so many friends and family members, especially those who have already lost a parent and where therefore able to give me some insight and perspective into what was going on. I'm also thankful to those closest to me who have managed to give me constant love and support while also giving me the space I need to try and grieve in my own way. It is a delicate balance, but you (and you each know who you are) have given me just what I've needed as I've needed it.

Sleeping has been the hardest part - I just hate to go to bed because if my brain gets too silent, I end up getting really sad and so I end up climbing back up out of bed and roaming the house working on random projects...

2:15 a.m. - ...like an astrological reading for a friend (Pisces with a Capricorn ascendant). My aunt Charlsie was a world-renowned astrologer with thousands of clients around the globe. She taught me how to plot a chart and do a reading when I was a preteen. She did many readings for me over the years, advising me on boyfriends (this one is a double Leo - he loves himself more than he will ever love you) and career moves (your true destiny won't open up to you until you are almost 50, so just make sure you learn all you can and enjoy what you are doing in the meantime). She always did the math herself and plotted each chart by hand with a ruler and colored pencils. I always feel like a cheat when I run a chart from a computer program.

11:30 a.m. - Had about 2 hours of sleep, then piddled around the house until a little before noon and than headed down to Mom's to write thank you notes. I just snapped the clouds, but when I loaded the photos, I thought it looked like a dinosaur or dragon's head about to bite something.


12:15 p.m. - While at Mom's, we went through a few of Dad's clothes, picking some to donate and some to keep. This is a keeper - his flight jacket from his dear friend Gabe at Boeing.

12:16 p.m. - it even has his nickname sewn into the lining.

2:10 p.m. - So, this is a joke that got out of hand. Way out of hand. I was having my hair cut and colored Thursday evening, and I got a text from my friend JD suggesting I color it pink (it was occasionally pink back when we knew each other in the 80s.) I got my friend and stylist Brooke to pull out the pink hair color so I could take a photograph and send it as a joke. Somewhere along the line, the joke became a reality as Brooke convinced me that a pink streak would be fun. So, here you go - Retro Joni. (By the way, no, that is not an overexposed photo. I really am that white.) Thank God he didn't make a joke about me getting a tattoo or an additional piercing, cause sometimes I will do anything to make a friend laugh.

2:17 p.m. - Went next door to see Katie and stumbled across her cat Bob. Hi Bob. (Drink!)

2:27 p.m. - Puzzle that Katie and Brian (mostly Brian) were working on. I stared for about 10 minutes and finally found two pieces that fit together. Least I think they were supposed to be together. Brian might have pretended they did just so I would be satisfied that I contributed and finally leave and not mess with his puzzle any more.

2:40 p.m. - and on to the real reason I went to see Katie - sonogram photos. They found out that they are having a boy, and here is his little foot. I would have shown the photo that determined he was a boy, but that seemed a little bit too sketchy of a thing to do to the poor kid. I mean, would you like the neighbor lady showing your stuff on her blog before you ever knew what a blog was?? Did I mention that after my fall down the stairs last month, Katie has decided that maybe she won't be calling on me for babysitting duty after all. Although, thanks to me and my clumsiness, she does now know the direct route to one of the local ERs in case she ever needs to know.

3:55 p.m. - Went over to Lowes with my neighbor David to get some soil to plant the beautiful hydrangea plants that several of my friends sent for Dad's services. While we were there, we checked out some of the other flowers and plants.

4:12 p.m. - and I ended up with 2 more hydrangea to fill out the area where we are going to plant them tomorrow after church.

8:10 p.m. - After an attempt at a nap (I slept 45 whole minutes!), I ran by work to pick up something I left on Friday. This is my bonus shot - a recreation of a shot of the windows from the outside of the hanger in my February 2010 12 of 12 entry. The photo above was taken of the same windows from inside the hangar.

9:05 p.m. - and then I stopped by the 24 hour post office to mail a package. There is always about 20-30 people in line at that post office no matter what time I go. Of course, there is also only 1 agent working while the other 6 windows are always closed, so it takes for ever to get through the line. But I'm getting closer - only 3 more folks ahead of me.

10:05 p.m. - Back home finally, and here is my final photo. It is really just a photo of a photo that my friend in Texas sent me from his shopping expedition today. I would say it related to an inside joke, but I'm sure most of you already have an idea of what that inside joke is in reference to. What can I say? Sometimes we both still have the sense of humor of two 12 year olds. But it made me laugh, and I need to laugh, so good job on that one.

Guess that is it. Hope you enjoyed.