Tamara Unleashed

Friday I found out that my daughter-in-law’s (DIL) band was going to be playing in Nashville Saturday morning at the Finish Line of the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon in Nashville – a 90 minute set starting at about 1030 AM. I hadn’t seen them play since last June when they just added a new member. I drove in with my DIL and her parents. In spite of road closures for the marathon, traffic was light. We were able to go to the “green room” area for the band and hang there until it was time for the show.

It was a gorgeous morning – sunny in the high 60’s. The crowd ebbed and flowed was runners finished the marathon and half marathon. We were amazed at how they still had energy to stand and enjoy the music. The dancing increased throughout the show. I was amazed at how much better the show was than last year. I really enjoyed it as did the crowd.

After the show was over, I was walking back to the “green room” and a young woman approached me. It took me a couple of beats to place her – a colleague form University of Alabama in Birmingham. She was one of the investigators in the PLUS research network. She had completed the half marathon. She knew the band was going to be playing and was looking for me. It was so good to see her. So impressed that she had run the half marathon. I had that on my bucket list at one point. It was fun to be able to introduce her to my DIL who she has heard me talk about for years. She was so excited to get her picture taken with the band.

Sunday was a cool, mostly cloudy day at Habitat Village by the Creek build site. Since last fall, we have been building wall panels for the houses waiting for the streets to get in so the slabs can be poured so we can erect the walls. There are stacks and stacks of panels around the site now. In early May we should get to start erecting the walls. It is hard to describe how rewarding this experience is for me. I am physically active and mentally challenged. I made way fewer mistakes on Sunday than I did with the crew on Thursday. When the reciprocator saw comes out, you know something did not go well. I am not afraid to tackle complicated walls – doors, windows, ladders and flats.

I can’t wait to help turn the wall panels into walls and start building the actual houses. The first few are supposed to be completed by the end of June. Stay tuned.

When I was young I couldn’t understand why my mom wore socks with sandals. In fact, it used to drive me crazy. It didn’t make sense. It seemed pretty easy to just take the socks off if you were going to put on sandals. Now I understand. Why bother to take the socks off to do a quick errand outdoors and don’t want to be barefoot when you come back in the house and take off your sandals. It is practical to slip on sandals with socks on. This is exactly what I do when I take Carli out. I smiled the other day when I looked down at my feet; remembered my mom and how ridiculous I thought it was at one time.

Yesterday was a much better day at Habitat. It was our first hot, full sun day. I was working with a group of adults – 3 men and a woman, I provided so many misdirections for one reason or another that it became comical after a while. The nice thing about carpentry is that in general, no one is going to bleed to death and there is generally a work around to most mistakes. And there is always the opportunity to take it apart and put it back together again. Even those with more experience than I have to take things apart sometimes. My group was really into problem solving and we came up with some creative solutions – some of which were helpful. Surgery is all about problem solving as well, however the tissue you are working generally has more “give to it” than wood so precision of measurement is not as crucial. I always tell my crews that we always discover why we do things a certain way when we get to the next step and have to deal with the consequences of not being “flush enough”.

It was so sunny that midday I decided to reapply my spf 100 sunscreen. I took my iWatch off so I didn’t spray it. After we got back to work, I realized I didn’t have my watch on. There was too much going on to worry about it so after we finished I decided to try to find my watch. I had done a cursory pat down of my the many pockets on my construction work pants and when it was not there so I assumed it was in my backpack where I kept my sunscreen. When backpack search was uneventful, I enlisted the help of two others to find my watch – only to find in in my back pocket. Why I put it there I have no idea.

At my visit with the dentist last November, they had this cool new camera that they used in my mouth to create a video imaging of my teeth. They then showed it to me and noted that my bite was off and it was causing me to bite down on my fillings. There was one filling that I could definitely see was not doing well but I have no complaints about my teeth except for cold and vibration sensitivity that I have had for at least 15-20 years.

I recall a Manhattan dentist telling me 20 years ago that my bite was “off” and that if I didn’t correct it with a jaw-breaking type of surgery I would get TMJ. While I had noted that the space between my two front teeth had increased a bit over the past 20 years no other dentist had talked about my bite.

Consequently, I was initially leery of the recommendation for an Invisilign and replacement of 7 fillings with porcelain implants. The pictures clearly showed one bad filling and others that didn’t look great. While I really didn’t like the gap between my teeth I never would have done the Invisalign for cosmetics alone. With little idea of what Invisalign would entail I agreed. I was shown computer images of how the bone around the teeth would gradually move and the process would take 5 months. I was asked to pick out the color for something that would be applied to my teeth. I was told I would need to wear them 22 hours every day and that I couldn’t drink anything besides water with them in. I would need to brush my teeth after I ate or drank anything that wasn’t water. I would not be able to chew gum.

The first week is a “practice mold”. It isn’t designed to move the bone, but to give you a chance to get comfortable wearing the retainers and getting them in and out. When I went back after my first week, some “spikes” of a some sort of compound was applied to several teeth. These spikes would help move the teeth/bone to the correct position gradually.

The first 4 months I took all of the instructions very seriously. I always had them in at least 22 hours a day but gradually I started drinking some soda with them in and when not convenient to brush, I would just put the retainers back in.

I changed the retainer every Wednesday for 18 weeks. The gap is closed; my bite is different/improved. I did not really have pain or even discomfort but I hate eating with the spikes on my teeth.

The spikes were supposed to come off tomorrow and I was REALLY looking forward to it. I would be able to chew gum again when I work out. I got a call this morning that the dentist has had a family emergency and would not be in the office tomorrow and they were not sure when he would be back. So I will be with my week 18 retainers and spikes on my teeth for a while longer. When the spikes come off, I will get measured for the retainers that I will use at night to keep the teeth where they should be.

I truly hope the dentist’s family emergency resolves quickly and that all is well. Getting the spikes off of my teeth is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things but I was so looking forward to it. Gum chewing will just have to wait.

Yesterday was my first day of Habitat build since the cruise. This is half of the crew I had. While it is hard to appreciate from the photo, these are high schoolers. I had a crew of nine of them which is way too many to keep engaged. We are building wall panels for the houses we will begin constructing in early May, There was a delay in getting the street into the development so there was a delay in getting the cement foundations poured. Starting last fall, we began building walls panels for the houses and we now have all of the panels done for the houses that will be built this summer and some of the houses to be built in the fall as well. Because of the delay in getting the foundations poured, there were not as many dates for the the volunteers this spring. To accommodate all of the groups that have donated, more groups are coming on the same days. We had a total of 50 volunteers yesterday including the high school group.

I have noticed that as one of the few women SOS (Supervisor on Site) on the days that I am there, the young, inexperienced women tend to come to work with me which is fine. My groups are generally less productive than groups with more upper body strength but it is fun to watch the women go from 20 strikes with the hammer to get the 3 inch nail in to 7 or 8. A typical groups size is 4-6 which is a reasonable number to make sure everyone stays busy. I had worked with groups of college students before, but not high schoolers.

My group was primarily women and all were very nice. There was just too many to keep engaged. The minute they were not swinging the hammer, they were talking to each other. Two would become 4 which would become the entire group. I would then be giving instruction about the next step to myself. This happened several times.

I was physically and mentally exhausted when I got home yesterday. I did a reasonable job of not showing my frustration (but I could have done better). Next year when I see “University School” on the schedule, I will know it is high schoolers and adjust my expectations. I look forward to having a smaller group next time as well. I think would have made a big difference.

To the right is a picture of me at the Cedar Rapids airport yesterday, Sitting outside on a patio near the gate with fire pit in the background.

Carli was very happy to see me last night. Because the temperature in my condo was over 80 to help the paint dry, I slept at my son’s and let Carli sleep with me. She let me sleep all night. I started putting her in a kennel at night last October because she was waking me up two or three times. I will probably try to sleep with her again tonight but I doubt that her good behavior will last.

I had originally planned to work on Habitat build site today but decided not to when I started coughing on Monday. Fortunately the cough has gotten better but I don’t think I would have been thinking clearly enough this morning to be responsible for anything. I have managed to get my nails done and get some groceries.

I forgot to post this on Thursday… I have rested, worked out with trainer and went to Cheekwood Gardens this morning. Weather has been fabulous and tomorrow is Habitat. I need to review the video tapes on joining the wall panels into walls for the work tomorrow.

My new shower and toilets work and the new cabinets are to be installed on Monday. I can’t really fully unpack until the renovation is complete and I can use the master closet again.

All is well….

At this moment “unleashed” means off-duty. Aunt Carol just dropped me off at the Cedar Rapids airport for my flight to Nashville. As I sit looking at the Allegiant desk, I think back to nearly 3 weeks ago with a sense of wonder. I could NEVER have predicted all that was to be be managed and survived with as much grace as I could muster at each moment.

While I am very ready to get home and “let down”, I am very happy that I was able to give my aunt this experience of her lifetime (and mine for very different reasons).

Thanks to friends and family who all contributed in one way or another to this adventure.

I will have a functioning toilet when I get home and by the end of day tomorrow I should have a functioning shower.

We are back in SF. waiting for our turn to disembark. Hopefully our pictures of Carol’s birth certificate and my passport will get us through customs. I will not truly feel “off duty” until I Carol drops me at airport tomorrow afternoon. I will hopefully have time in the morning to return some stuff to Target that I never wore. I did end up with a dress and sandals that I will get some use out of. I may have been overly ambitious what I signed up to do a day of wall building for Habitat on Thursday – early the morning after I get back.

I started coughing yesterday – then realized I had forgotten to use my inhaler for most of the trip – so hopefully that is all this is. Today I am feeling slightly like a cold so it may be more than my untreated mild asthma.

I could get an earlier flight out of SF but then we would sit for several hours in DFW to get to DSM 50 minutes earlier than our current itinerary. Not worth the $400 it would cost. So we will have many hours in SFO with Carol learning to use her cell phone – calling, texting and email. Vish, the hair and makeup person on the cruise has her email address and will email her. For Carol, that is motivation to learn.

I am really excited that I put my last Invisilign in this morning. Next Tuesday I will get these crazy spikes off my teeth and get measured for the retainer. I am so excited to be able to chew gum again. I can clearly see that they worked. I have a much better bite so it was worth the 5 month investment.

I really had no idea what to expect of this adventure. In most ways it was better than I was anticipating. I am sure I will have more thoughts over time – once I am really home.

Our last sea day. We only spent a few chilly hours at Encenada. Apparently cruise ships originating in the states have to stop somewhere outside of the states if their crew is going to be nonUS citizens – so that is the reason for the quick stop in Mexico. In general the crew are on the ships for 9 months at a time and then they go home for several months. Many have held these jobs for decades and have families. We have had truly lovely people serving and caring for us. They are well selected for being able to be patient and kind. I am sure their quarters are a place that they can “let down”. This can’t be easy.

I met a woman in the check in line on March 27th – a lifetime ago. She was from Fr. Worth and traveling with a woman who was the sister of 2 brothers that she had known for years. They knew of each other but not well. In spite of warnings that it was risky, they shared a cabin and got along great. We ran into them on our first sea day and started playing cards in the afternoon. We played King’s Corner, Canasta and Rummy. We shared several meals together and it feels like we have gotten to know each other. We laughed a lot. We often ended up in our room for one reason or another. One of the women’s first husband had relatives in Iowa. Her most vivid memory of her Iowa visit was seeing flies mating for the first time. We had a good laugh about that.

Saturday night was our last formal night and they served lobster, one of Carol’s favorites. Carol did not want the rice and wilted spinach that was served with it and was thrilled when the waiter offered her a second lobster tail instead.

Yesterday the passenger that had been practicing ukulele and Hula dancing on our sea days gave a performance. I had watched a bit of the hula dancing at the beginning and definitely saw a LOT of progress during the cruise. They were charming performances.

One more morning hot tub, one more afternoon of cards, two more sit down meals and packing. We have to have our 2 big suitcases outside the room by 9 PM. We meet us at 9 AM for transportation to the airport.

I am not deterred from doing another longer cruise, but I would do one with way fewer sea days in a row. The extra space of the mini suite is nice. There was less time on the balcony than we had hoped but the Pacific in March is not necessarily very warm.

Aloha!!

I used to be so embarrassed by this photo. Now I see it as a perfect snapshot in time. I would have been 9 and a half. I was desperate to get glasses when I was in third grade and I got them. I stopped wearing them in high school when I tired of glasses and my vision was not bad enough to get contacts. I didn’t need them again until I was nearly 40. I feel kind of bad about that now because they were an unnecessary expense for my parents.

This picture is n the side yard of the Grandpa Bill’s farm house. After Grandpa Bill died when I was a freshman in college, my parents and younger siblings moved to the farm so my dad could become a farmer. My mom absolutely did not want to move back to the farm that she grew up on. In retrospect I am not sure how much my dad wanted to do it either but when my grandfather asked, my dad agreed. If he hadn’t the farm would likely have been sold as it was owned by his 4 daughters and only one of them would have wanted to keep it.

I selfishly was glad they kept the farm in the family. It provided many wonderful summers for my son and nieces and nephews. While for me it was “farm camp” with laundry, gardening, canning etc. For the next generation it was mainly fun. The farm is no longer in the family as there was no one interested in the farm life.

We arrive in Ensenada later this afternoon and leave later today. We have one more sea day before we arrive back in SF Tuesday morning. We will head to the airport at 9 AM and if the travels gods are in a good mood we may be able to catch an earlier flight home. Our current flight is at 4 PM which gets us home at midnight. It would be wonderful to get home earlier.

Cross your fingers for us.

Freddie is the person who takes very good care of us in our cabin. With the electronic fobs, they can see if we are in our cabins or not so there is none of the annoying knocking from housekeeping trying to figure out if it is a good time to clean.

Yesterday morning, Freddie knocked which was unusual as we generally see him in the halls. He had a Princess shopping bag with a gift for Carol. He had requested it at the beginning of the cruise, but apparently it took a while for the process to work. Carol was napping on the deck and he did not want to waken her – so I got to see the joy on her face when she found a Princess Bear – Stan in the bag.

As we left for lunch, Freddie got his well deserved hug!!!! Carol wants his address so he can make a Teddy Bear and send to him.