One Year

The last couple of months have been filled with visitors and activities to keep me pretty well distracted from the pain that's always there.  The holidays are always full with so much to do.  Just before the holidays I learned that Heidi would need a place to stay at the start of the year as she commuted up here for some temporary work at Ridgetop Animal Hospital.  During her time here she would be waiting to hear about an opportunity opening up to run a practice in Vancouver, WA.  I excitedly jumped at offering her a place with us.  I was in the process, well, not really making progress, of converting Garrett's office space into a guest bedroom.  In an effort to make it more comfortable, I needed to get some daunting tasks done.  The unfinished French doors were a mess from the cat having scratched them to bits over the years and the walls and window frame needed holes filled and the paint touched up.  I had no knowledge on how to repair and finish the doors, so I took to YouTube and figured it out.  It was one of those occasions when I just had to jump in and not worry so much - looking back now, I am amazed that I did it and in some ways it feels like I was not only fixing the doors, but also some of the deep holes in my heart left by Garrett's passing.

   
Just before Christmas, my brother-in-law, Jonathan came to visit.  He is a master at building cabinets and pretty much anything, so while he was here he offered to get some things done around the house.  Several things had been left unfinished since we moved in over 16 years ago...now they are built.  I know Garrett would be pleased - I certainly am.   The year mark came the day Jonathan left, so as we headed for the airport, we stopped at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and walked partway across to spread some of Garrett's ashes as he had requested before he passed.

We stopped at the Thai place to eat his favorite dish of avocado fried rice and also stopped for sushi at Sapporo's.  It was a good visit and I am grateful for his care and support.

The day after Jonathan left, Heidi started her rotation at Ridgetop Animal Hospital.  She stays with us for a few days a week as she commutes from Canby.  In the meantime, the opportunity to run that practice in Vancouver was offered and she accepted.  She will start February 12.  This will be a great opportunity for her and I am so happy and grateful she is doing so well in her career.

There are a few friends in my life that have made, and continue to make, great impressions and have tremendous influence on me.  One of those friends, Stacy, came to visit from Texas last weekend.  I met Stacy through Garrett's work at AMD in Austin back in 1997.  Randy, Stacy's husband at the time, worked closely with Garrett and they formed a close friendship over playing chess nearly every day at lunch.  We enjoyed spending time with them and their two young sons.  Stacy was an amazing support to me while we struggled with infertility, even offering to be a surrogate for us.  After we moved away, and Andrew was born, we had an opportunity to visit/stay with them while Garrett did some work for AMD.  It was the last time I saw her for the next 16 years.  A year or so after our visit, they divorced and I lost contact with Stacy, but Garrett continued to stay in touch with Randy for a while longer with occasional trips to Austin for work.   While Garrett was in hospice care at home, I called Randy to update him and give them a chance to talk before it would be too late.  I added Randy on Facebook, which is how I eventually came back in touch with Stacy.  It is wonderful to have her back in my life again and wish I had never lost touch with her.  We had a very fun girl's weekend on the WA/OR coast, with a night in Seaside and a night with my brother and David in Portland.  It was just what I needed - some one on one with a dear friend with whom time apart has not changed a thing.

Powerful winds at the coast!!

I believe in divine timing and all of these things have been timed perfectly...better than I could have planned.  I am grateful for the lift and for the change in perspective that my heart and mind needed.