April 29, 2008

Good God Almighty.  Here is is three full weeks since the last time I pulled my head up out of the sand (or out of my ass) to talk to you folks.  Mind you, it's not the first time I've *tried* to do so, it's just the first time I've made it this far.

I have been up to my ears in business preparation.  It sure is a lot of work to start a business and build up inventory.  Jackie and I have perfected the arts of candle and soap making, as well as developed our line of body  milks, shower gels and skin softening gels.  Everything is 100% all natural and made by us in Jackie's kitchen.  Speaking as 2 former Avon ladies, I have to say this is the best product I have ever felt on my skin.  Jackie even used the shower gel to wash her hair and it came out great.  All of the products have the same consistent scents throughout.  We also have hand-dipped incense in the same scents and little sachets for drawers, closets and cars.  They smell wonderful.

I have been going insane on monkeys and bears.  I have a total of 8 monkeys made (those monkeys are a king sized pain in the ass...no wonder they are so expensive) and around 14-16 bears. I lost count.  I got the website finished.  It's www.mountaindivaz.com .  I still have to set up the shopping cart and add photos of the latest wave of bears.  I also created post cards and note cards, plus we have 4 different t-shirts available.  On top of that, we have a bunch of diva items like sun hats, boas, tiaras, diva glasses and such.  We have had 3 sale days so far: one in Grizzly Flats and 2 at the swap meet in Diamond Springs.  Our items have been very well received, but the whole process is just exhausting.

So now I have the inventory built up and can breathe for a little while.  Yesterday, I took Jackie Lou to the chiropractor because her back went out on her.  She can't turn her head well when it's out, so driving is hard.  We also did our grocery shopping and opened our Mountain Divaz checking account.  She has to go back tomorrow for another adjustment and to the dentist, so we will be in town again.  I spent today cleaning house because it has been ignored for days on end.  It took ridiculously longer than I expected and hoped and I am still not done.  Thursday, Eric and I are in town for a date day because we have seen one another so rarely in the last couple of weeks and we want some couple time before we spend a full week as a group. 

We are going to go on a family trip for a week starting this weekend.  I am a little bit rocky about it for a few reasons.  Don't get me wrong.  I am thrilled to be going and I know we will have a great time.  It is our first family trip of longer than a weekend in 7 years.  We were going to fly and Eric decided he really did not want to do that, so now we are driving.  Everyone except Eric fully hates the drive to L.A.  He swears it only takes 5-6 hours, but it always takes 8-10.  It just goes on and on and on and on and on.  The boys have never flown before and are eager to try it and it is only about a 45 minutes flight.  I hate traveling by car passionately.  So now, no flying.  Instead, we will rent a van since our little Jeep Liberty has kids in quarters that are way, way too tight in the back seat.  We were going to stay in a hotel, but Eric and his mother put their heads together and decided it would be much better if we stayed with his grandmother.  We are going down there actually to see the grandmother and Eric's mom and that's wonderful and I'm excited for it.  Unfortunately, Eric's gram, who is adorable and I love her to pieces, lives in a (very, very nice) condo in Whittier, California.  Eric's stepfather is coming out for a few days as well and that will be a total of 8 people staying in this little condo and it just feels too close to me.  I have voiced my concerns very clearly and I've been trumped.  I am glad to be saving the money we would spend on a hotel, but I am not excited about the close quarters.  I am working hard to let all of that go and not feel bad about it, not predetermine that it is going to be a mess at worst and challenging at best.  It will be what it will be and there are good chances it will be something wonderful.  My kids are not badly behaved and can handle it, I'm sure (pretty sure).

I look forward to doing and being and experiencing something different, although I know that within a couple of days, I will be homesick for my mountain.  I worry a bit about the pets.  We have people looking after them, but in their whole lives, they have never known us to be away and so I am sure they will be confused and frightened.

I have a pile of emails to get through and if I have not answered one you sent, it does not mean that you are less important than anyone else.  I'm just swamped and trying to tackle things 1 or 10 at a time.

Joshua (my son who is turning 26 this month, the one with the kids) leaves for Army boot camp on the 22nd of May.  He was talking about how dedicated he was to getting a career field that would not be as likely to see combat and where does he end up?  He's a medic.  Nope.  They don't need medics on the front line.  I have had to separate myself out from it and just let it happen on its own.  I always asked my kids not to smoke and not to join the military.  It is definitely not any lack of patriotism on my part.  I'm a very patriotic person.  It's more of a matter of the fact that I spent more than 20 years worrying about my husbands who were in the military and I'm just DONE with it.  Josh really feels that this is his only option for a good life, so off he goes.  I am enormously sad about it, but I am ignoring it for the time being.  As Vivi from "YaYa Sisterhood" would say, "I take a problem and chew on it until all the flavor is gone out of it, then I stick it in my hair."  Josh in the military has currently taken up residence in my hair.

You know, when I started writing this, I really thought I had a lot of stories to tell and a lot of things to share, but as I sit here writing this, they all seem to have slipped away.  Summer is coming up fast and I look forward to sleeping in (there is never, ever, ever close to enough sleep any more) and having long, warm days.  It's still fairly cold up here from time to time.  We've had some days in the 70's, but mostly, it hangs out in the 50's and 60's with a chilly wind.  We should technically still get one more snow, but the more time passes, the less likely it seems although we have gotten snow as late as June before. 

Mostly, I wanted to say hello and let you folks know that me disappearing was in no way an indication of any lack of love or respect for you folks.  I've just been tremendously busy, seemingly in constant motion and missing my quiet days.

Keep on being particular,
Katrina