The Gypsy on Adventure

Time to Revive many things in my life!

I am doing the Artfully Wild Blog Along, the Month of April, I needed a reason to kick start my writing again, even if it is just for me. 

So many radical changes in the last 3 years for me. Things I have learned through this time. I am finally feeling like I am standing on my feet again. Rise like the phoenix!  Allow yourself to flounder. Wander aimlessly. Figure yourself out no matter how old you are.

1. August 1, 2016, I retired from a job I had been at since 1984. How crazy that feels when I hear that out loud! I worked REALLY hard the last five years I was there to make sure that job did not define me as a person when I walked out the door. It now feels like a lifetime ago! Some times I miss the work, it felt meaningful. But I will always have the insights, lessons from humanity, but will most likely always have the hypervigilance that it gifted me! 
2. We packed up our house we were renting for 19 years and put everything in storage, and then took off driving around the country for 5 months. 
3. On September 11th of 2017, we got back home to California. We stayed with some good friends for a month while we searched for our forever house in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. We bought our first house talk about terrifying and surreal, I never thought I would be a home owner! We moved in on October 12, 2017. 
4. May 16, 2018, my baby brother Steve was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cancer (1 day after his 54th birthday)...I got to see him for a few hours in July, and by December 11th he was gone. (He lived in Joplin Mo so 3000 miles between us). He was my person. The one that never made me feel like an alien. The one that didn't judge me. The one that always had wise words... My brother Chuck thought I had it worse since I couldn't be there, but I have to say, there is no worse its just all bad when you lose someone you love.

Anyway, all those major changes had me pretty much frozen for awhile. Then I was gifted a Life Coaching experience and had 7-8 sessions and started to make plans for my art goals as well as my health and wellness goals! Last year I didn't do my online art classes...and I felt I not only wasted my money, but I didn't get to enjoy the experiences...I was working things out and adjusting to my new life in the Sierra's. And getting my strength back since living in a house that had mold, I was chronically sick.

So this year I got in on Effy Wilds 365 Course! And I wanted to keep up! I drilled down to what I really wanted, and I really want a body work by the end of December 2019!  I have been terrified of painting on Canvas...all those fears of "not being good enough", so I worked on that in my Coaching! Since January I have 3 completed Canvas painted! And starting a new one tomorrow! I am working in my journal and following my classes!

It is a lot of work, soul work! Stuff I would be writing out or obsessing in my brain is coming out on the page or the canvas. This year Effy is having collaborative artists for BOD (Book of Days) and that has been exciting as well. If you want to go deeper in your art work, join us. It has been an amazing experience. She is real. Take her as she is. And enjoy the ride. You don't have to do woo-woo, but there is sure a connection I am experiencing.

Happy New Year 2016 glad to see 2015 go!!!

 

2015 sucked! I am SO glad we are going into 2016!!! 

It is the year of HUGE change for me....

Retiring...moving...change change change! eep!

Retirement party is OVER!

A huge sigh of relief...the retirement party I think went really well, the tables looked great, the decorations were great...the speeches were long but engaging and entertaining...the movie was perfect...

I had an epic fail when I forgot and put all the Hawaiian and Frank Sinatra music on my iPhone, which any normal person would not have been an issue, however, we are talking about the Carmelita, and HAD to have a stupid plastic frog that I put in the audio plug, that of course broke off! I forgot I did that....so I get to the venue...and BAM ... can't use my iPhone and I can't get the playlist from the cloud! Thankfully someone had a pandora acct and we got free wifi (shhhhh, don't tell anyone) and they saved the Carmelita's bacon!)

I was a stress ball until we got there and set up then it was a lot of fun! All dressed in Hawaiian theme...I was comfy in shirt, shorts and sandals! Perfect night. A big thank you to my partner in crime Jodie.... 

It is HARD to say good bye to your friends in a professional way...they will always be my friends, but I REALLY miss them at work. We have all been through wars together and high profile cases that kept us up at night and I will really miss them having my back...And I hope they had a GREAT time at their celebration ... I could not have been prouder listening to all the things people had to say about each one of you tonight... We are going to feel your absence for a long time.

    

Oh my!

I am NOT looking forward to tomorrow! Work! OhMy!

I think I was spoiled for the entire week and didn't think once about work! Ah but life is good. I can't complain...its just going to be REALLY early! LOL

I am trying to keep my healthy eating and walking up even in the stress of family stuff and the process of letting go...

Today I looked like a Vampire in my shadow! LOL Today...I passed my goal again...4,291 steps! As long as I hit the 3000 mark I am happy! That is about a mile and a half...building it up!

Today we found out that Retired Captain John Tomac passed away, luckily after a short illness.  Its amazing to me that he retired in 1986! It sure doesn't seem like that long to me! I was working in the Fire Deparment then, but he was always nice to me. 25 years? Really? He still lived in town and had a rich, rich life! He never defined himself by what he did for a living!

You will be missed by those that admired you, knew you, and those you touched in your community!

Some days it doesn't pay to wake up and join the work force...days like this I just wish I was retired and on to the next stage of my life. Sigh. I am depressed!

There are some days at work where I just want to retire! Today was one of them!

I seem to say good-bye a lot

Today I took an extra hour at lunch to be able to have a great LONG time to talk with my friend Maggie who is retiring this month on the 16th. We caught up, we talked about family, and history, and what she is going to be doing in retirement! Her life is changing up fast, she is also getting married again! Moving! And leaving behind some friends and her adult kids...all hard stuff. I am going to miss her silliness and her flare for the drama! She is an actress and I was lucky enough to see her in HAIR a few years ago! We vowed to keep up with each other and I sure hope we do! 

We had lunch at the beautiful Japanese place on El Camino and the food always looks like art!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Most that really know me, know I have a hard time with change. Today, another huge change! Another friend retired...still feel abandoned when they leave...like it has some thing to do with me! what an idiot! LOL I am trying to be happy for the next stage of life...for new beginnings!

 

Good night sweet friend...

I was sad to hear you passed Buddah...Big Boo...but then I was so happy to hear you were laughing and telling stories with your son when you just slumped over...truly you died as you lived...happy. I honor your memory...you were a fun friend and co-worker...you were a REAL firefighter...the kind they just don't make anymore...RIP Dave Schmitz...

 
David Edward Schmitz
Resident of Mountain View
Died April 29, 2011 at home in Mtn. View, CA, at the age of 82 laughing and visiting with family and friends. One of six siblings he was born March 24, 1929 in Wabasha, MN, to John and Isabelle Schmitz. He graduated from St. Felix High in 1947. On Sept. 30, 1950 he married Donna Mae Paulson. They spent the first 6 years of marriage on a farm in Wabasha County. In 1956 they moved to Burlingame then on to Mtn. View where he joined the M.V. Fire Dept. After a 30 year career that he loved he retired as Captain, a position he achieved in 1974.

Family and friends were the love of his life. His favorite pastimes were hunting, fishing and spending time at his cabin in the Sierras. He was preceded in death by Donna his wife of 54 years, and John his brother. For the last two years he shared a loving relationship with Iva Schnell.

He is survived by 2 brothers Arthur and Howard, 2 sisters Marjorie and Betty, 4 children, Debra, David, Dawn and Douglas, 9 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.

Visitations on Friday, May 6 from 5:00-8:00 p.m., Funeral Service on Saturday, May 7 at 11:00 a.m. at Cusimano Family Colonial Mortuary, 96 W. El Camino, Mtn. View. Interment will follow at Skylawn Memorial Park, San Mateo.