How People I Love Messed Me Up This Week!

This was an amazingly busy week.  I got ready for our first flea.o.logy of the year here at the house.  Wow, we had 34 dealers, about 8 more than our biggest sale last year.  Not withstanding I have great friends and family, I did run into a couple of funny bumps, shall we say. 

 Monday I blogged and did projects for flea.o.logy.  Dad and I had dinner together that night and played, what else, Scrabble.  Tuesday was much the same, but I also spent hours and hours raking, sweeping and bagging nature's litter from the north drive as we had rented it to vendors.  Dad, of course, spent the evening in the temple, after an amazingly taxing day at the Spanish Fork Macey's where they are making BIG changes.  In fact, that is really how he spent his work week.
Wednesday I went to work and did a nice rework of a display space with Kathy Ainge.  It was her brain child copying a magazine picture she has seen and it turned out lovely.  After work, Dad helped me for a couple of hours to finish up the north driveway.  In all it took about 8 man hours (6 of them were woman hours) to clean it up, but it looks great ... I love the boat not being there. (It spent the week in the neighbors driveway)  I just wish one of the kids would buy the boat (currently in need of repairs after its ONE trip last summer.)   Our final act was to put up colored triangular plastic flag pennants along the fence so people would know we were having the sale this week
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Thursday was more of the same, other than the fact that I spent extra time at work packing stuff from my booths to bring home for the sale.  The evening was spent with Dad and me decluttering the other walks and the other driveway.  Dad even mowed down weeds in the dirt driveway (oh how fun to have 3 driveways) while he was mowing the lawns.  I did manage to get a couple of garden boxes cleaned out and plant some acorn squash and tomatoes. 

Friday was a big day for frustration, but also one of getting a lot accomplished.  The three flea.o.logists had decided to make matching aprons so we could be more identifiable.  Of course, though I had had the fabric for a month, I saw no need to start it until the day before I needed it.  I spent an hour searching for my sewing machine, figuring I must have found a fun new place to tuck it away when I was cleaning my house to get ready for Emily's Hunger Games Party the week before (BTW the cleaning I did for her party, really helped when I had overnight flea.o.logists staying here, and also had a couple of dealer and friends who wanted tours, so thanks Em)  At any rate I could not find it, I finally called Spencer who uses it to make bags for his wood glasses company, I left a message.  The second time I called he told me he had taken it to his apartment ... as  "You never use it."   He DID bring it right back and I was able to make the apron from 12:00 midnight until 2:00 A.M. that night .... Yawn  Here he is with Seth as peeps set up for the sale Friday Night.

I supervised the setting up from 2:00 PM until almost 6:00 PM, including setting up my own booth.  Then the one 'spoiled brat' thing I did for myself, was to leave Dad holding the bag while I ran to Salt Lake for a Jane Austen (JASNA) tea party up above our house in Cottonwood Heights.  My only frustration here was that I was supposed to go with Robin, but when she realized the tea was going to be outside, she knew that she would have to pass, since she has such allergies this time of year, and an hour outside leads to a several days migraine.  My loss of course, but I know she would have if she could have. Anyway, after an insane week, it was so lovely to just sit and visit about something I LOVE to sit and visit about.  I did forgo the movie, and ran back to let Dad off the hook.  I went to bed at 2:00 A.M., and got up at 4:00 AM for my lookout.  (Jenn, Cathie and I split the 12:00 to 6:00 night time into three watches.) 

The sale was an unbelievable success.  We just keep getting better.  Look at that crowd.  A couple of customer's theorized that it was the fact that it was printed in the National Magazine, Flea Market Style.  Maybe so, I just hope the new customers keep on keeping on.  Here I am with Cathy and Jenn in front of our flea.o.logy sign that Dad put up for us.  Nell came down to sell, and had her best sale so far.  It was super fun to have her sister Bugs watching her kids, as it gave me coverage in the family room as dealers and customers came in to use the bathroom.  Yeah Alexis.  It was fun too to have Scott, Eva and Eleanor around, I know their Grandpa adored it.  Coralee, my north side neighbor said she thought he was so cute with the grand kids (the swings are on that side) and she thought I was very lucky!  She is SOOOOO right!

Dad fixed the infant swing, and Beckie got her first shot at it.  So cute.  Beckie also cut her first tooth this week and learned to crawl the same day.  Its so fun to see her growing and becoming.

Its so hard to be a hard playing baby.  That night, after all was cleaned up and put away, other than Cathie's, who has such an amazing display off goodies (and who sells an amazing array of goodies), Dad and I headed to Salt Lake to take his Dad to dinner.  Grandpa Carlo is so kind.  He IS definitely befuddled, and can't seem to keep track of his hearing aid and batteries, making conversation back and forth impossible.  He chatters endlessly, but kindly.  I guess being a good and kind man doesn't go away when you  have Alzheimer's, I just worry that when my 'social awareness' is stripped away that I will be one of those mean and nasty old ladies ....  Guess I need to work more on my core being now.

So today, Sunday,  was a great day spiritually, but it started out with my third frustration.  Emily had taken my van up to Becca's as Becca is selling off everything.  They have rented their house in Lehi and are moving into her mother-in-law's basement.  The rent there is great and they will be able to save for another house as they make their big mortgage payment with the rent payment on the house they are currently 'upside  down' in.

Anyway, Emily forgot to give me my keys back, Dad was gone off to the ward he supervises on the high counsel, Emily and Sam had already left for church, Bruce Allison, my antique show partner still had the old blue van after using it for flea.o.logy, and church was starting in 5 minutes. YIKES ... I started walking.  Fortunately I didn't walk much of the two miles it is to our new church before Dana DeWitt drove past and gave me a ride.  I couldn't be mad at Emily though, she does SO much for me, including the fact that she did add matching at Walmart for me on Friday and got me some amazing deals in the grocery department.  Dad can't even be unhappy about it as Walmart DEFINITELY lost money on my grocery list, so thanks Em.

As I said, Church was amazing.  One of those testimony meetings where you come away in love with life and your ward family.  Denise Ekins bore her testimony, a very rare occurrence, and said she knows that Heavenly Father loves us all, and he is aware and CARES about what is important to US individually.  She said He doesn't want us to all be the same, he just wants us all to be happy.  Terri and VL's son Ben was there, such a confused young man, he comes but sits apart from his parents, and is just so angry.  Emily always talks to him, and she is so upbeat.  She used to babysit him and Ann, and has a great bond.  Bless her heart.  Later Shirley Wilson's grandson, who is living there with his wife (Emily and Sam are friends with them) got up and bore his testimony about his hobby/career racing mountain bikes.  He told the story about going to an old trail to train, one he had used growing up in St. George, only to find part of it was fenced off and had no trespassing signs.  He said, he knew the trail was fine, he had used it and was sure it wouldn't be a problem, so he lifted his fine new bike over the fence and headed off.  Before long he realized the trail had eroded and a lot of rocks were loose.  He wiped out and was worried he had broken her collar bone.  He had broken his other one previously and said that for some reason once you have broken both your body is somehow compromised, and it makes it almost impossible to be competitive in bike racing.  He laid there in the wilderness discouraged and praying.  He said the Lord 'told' him that his bone was not broken, and that he would be ready to race in his next scheduled race, five weeks away.  He got up, rode back up the trail, lifted his bike back over the fence, despite excruciating pain, and got back to his car.  He didn't see how the Lord could fulfill his promise, but he trusted.  That was five weeks ago, he continued working through the pain, training, and yesterday he finished that race and made it to the 'blocks'.  I love that story.  I know the Lord loves us, and just wants our happiness.  I know that his plan is not for his aggrandisement, its is just for our happiness.  When He says "Thou shalt not" it is so we can find happiness, instead of the frustration that comes when we don't obey.  I am so grateful for parents who taught me this.

Well, that is our week.  Kind of crazy, eh?  Hope your week was just as amazing, in the way you most appreciate.