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Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After

Rediscovering Life after Retirement

Categories: Living Life, Reviews and Reflection

Sentence a Day 05.2025: the Rest of May

Sentence a Day, 05.2025

Good morning, good evening, good night, my friends.  Thanks for joining me for Sentence a Day 05.2025 – a long-winded review of my May coming to you in an extremely LONG, run-on sentence a day.

I am posting this from our cabin in Creede, Colorado.  Decided to divide this month’s sentences into a SaD post for the days we were on the cruise ship and a post for the rest of May.  Which is this post!

Before We Jump In

 

As I have always said, I write these sentences as a way of keeping track of what all has happened and when.  I know this is really a lot of gibberish.  A bunch of stuff I really don’t expect anyone to wade through!!  But it helps me to reflect on each day, and record the important things so I can keep them straight, if not in my mind, on ‘paper’ at least.  Thank you for stopping by!

Just a reminder:  Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After occasionally uses affiliate links which are usually italicized.  If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link provided I may receive a very small commission at no cost to you.  Thank you for your support.

And you can find where I link-up on this page.

Sentence a Day & LMNOP

 

Every month I try very hard to get my SaD post together once the month is over, in order to make the What’s Been on Your Calendar?- WBOYC – link-up with Deb at Deb’s World, Sue who blogs at Women Living Well After 50, Donna from Retirement Reflections and Jo who can be found at And Anyways. The link-up opens on the last Friday of each month and is only open a few days.  So I am not always successful in joining the gals.

Hope to link up this post with for Jennifer’s Thankful Thursday series over at Overflowing with Thankfulness, too.  My OGT after each sentence is ‘one good thing’ – something I am especially thankful for.

Also try to incorporate thoughts and experiences around my WOTY = word of the year into my SaD posts.  And when I have had occasion to get dressed for the day, I like to share a few OOTDs = outfits of the day.  That’s a lot of ABCs and LMNOPs.

Sentence a Day 05.2025

 

Have mercy.   I don’t think this has happened in a very long time.  I plumb forgot to write my sentences for days.  Discovered this fact on the 11th which had me scrambling to remember what all we had been up to before that day.  Thank goodness, I had written sentences for some of those days on my cruise SaD post.

 

Hello, May
  • Happy anniversary to Lauren and Francisco, so glad they found each other.  First full day home from the cruise but our heads and bodies felt like we were still bobbing on the ocean; the bed rolled and so did we most of the day; took a bonine which helped; spent a bit of time with the kitties snuggled in bed with us; breakfast, milled around in the yard for a bit; started laundry, pulled weeds in the front yard; watched the opening arguments for the second Karen Read trial; returned and traded our new suitcase with the broken zipper for another the same size; early dinner at Casita Linda afterward; Francisco texted with a link to our Durango holiday home; watched the Reds lose; worked on blog posts, caught up on emails and bill paying; Facetimed with Bren and Dec; she and Cady are having such a struggle right now; moms who’ve had teens can relate;poor Snick is very lethargic, and both she and Purrcy are throwing up; chance of rain tonight but not a drop yet; finally finished “Dexter”,  5,412 steps.  05.05.2025  OGT:  home safely
Sea-sickness on Land
  • Whew, our bed was really rolling this morning, there’s something to getting your land legs back after a cruise; we were both a little dizzy and queasy today; slept until after 8:00 am, thank goodness for the school bus stopping right below our bedroom window that woke me up; poor Snicky has stopped eating for the most part and is still very lethargic so made her an appointment with a vet tomorrow; folded and put away 3 baskets of laundry, changed the sheets, put the new bedding I bought 2 years ago on our bed – it is very cheerful; ironed for about 2 hours while watching the Karen Read trial on YouTube: Facetimed with Brennyn and Declan, Bren has 2 very infected eyes; showered and dressed in my black and white for Ageless Style then headed to writing; stopped to take some pictures of my B&W outfit beforehand; another good session of writing, Paul shared something he had written about our cruise; took a survey about our Holland America experience; started a new series, “Matlock” with Kathy Bates; 7,623 steps.  05.06.2025  OGT:  getting all the laundry washed and put away
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Finally, my new bedspread
Sick Snick
  • Woke up before the alarm, jumped in the shower, fed the kitties, Snick even acted like she wanted to eat but actually ate very little, had breakfast and then took Snick over the mountain to the vet clinic; after an exam, imaging and blood work the doctor diagnosed her with an inflamed intestional tract – fluids, antibiotics, appetite stimulant and prescriptions for all of that to be given at home along with probiotics – $700; stopped at McD’s for lunch but I was a good girl, only 3 chicken strips; got Snick settled at home then changed clothes for the gym: stairstepper, ab weight machines, treadmill; boiled some chicken and instant rice for Snick; scrapbooked with Valerie, had another life coaching session with Christie; Facetimed with Dec and Brennyn, things are better with Cady; PC cooked red beans, rice and smoked sausage for supper; created a scrapbook page while Facetiming with Valerie; PC fixed red beans and rice with smoked sausage for supper; finished watching “Dexter” – disappointing ending; worked on blog posts for Tell Us About and Where Bloggers Live; finished my Tell Us About post; read some blogs; watched Matlock; Snick seems a little better but now Purrcy is throwing up; 5,693 steps.  05.07.2025  OGT:  getting Snick some help and meds on board
  • Highlight of today was walking to and from the gym and working out in between:  leg weight machines; organized my recipe books and selected recipes to prepare in the coming days; made a grocery list with PC, he comparison shopped prices between the commissary’s app and Walmart in order to figure out where we should buy what; Snick seemed a little better; enjoyed seeing pictures of the tea party Cami’s teacher did for Mother’s Day; made a new to us recipe kind of like meatloaf meatballs with pumpkin Alfredo fettucine and Brussels sprouts; blog reading and a new series “Matlock” on Paramount before bed; still reading What Happened to the McCrays by Tracey Lange on my Kindle; 10,498 steps.  05.08.2025  OGT:  good teachers at Lundy
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Happy Foot
  • Breakfast on the patio followed by gym: treadmill, stairstepper, arms; off to the commissary to pick up our first grocery order; ran into Dollar Tree for a little photo album to send to Dec with pictures from our cruise to go with a board book we bought for him; picked up a Walmart grocery order then put it all away; PC worked on sprinklers in the yard, I cleaned up magnolia leaves from the tree I thought we were going to lose – it has dozens of buds and blooms; leftovers for supper; more “Matlock” and reading before bed; 5,913 steps. 05.09.2025  OGT:  our magnolia survived all the work on the sprinkler valves near it
  • Rolled around part of the night worrying that the hike I want to take on Sunday might be too much for Cami and Cia; we showered and dressed, ate a bite of breakfast and then walked up McKelligon Canyon, only the second time since I broke my foot, and this time we walked 4 miles in 1.16 hours; home for sandwiches for lunch; picked up some more magnolia leaves, Facetimed with Bren and Dec; scrapbooked with Valerie for a bit then got in the hot tub and enjoyed a $6 bottle of moscato with shrimp, cheese, crackers, and grapes; watched “Matlock” and read blogs; 11,794 steps.  05.10.2025  OGT:  my foot is letting me do more
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Hot tub picnic
Mother’s Day
  • Mother’s Day and a perfect day.  Breakfast on the patio; made sandwiches and packed a picnic; showered and dressed for our hike; met Lauren, Francisco, Lucia, Cami and Pumpkin at Slot Canyon; the weather was perfect, sun-shiny, breezy, we talked and laughed on the walk to the canyon and then enjoyed the beauty of this surprise in the desert, the trail was busy, lots of folks and pups so that made it difficult to take much time inside the canyon; Cia enjoyed the acoustics of the canyon when she sang while Cami tried to climb the canyon walls every 10 feet or so; we drove around the corner from the canyon to Leasburg Park for a picnic lunch, a walk on the trail there and a little splashing in the trickle of Rio Grande; on our way home we talked to PC’s mom; then had flautas at Casita Linda where they gave me a long stem rose; watched “Matlock” before bed; 7,680 steps.  05.11.2025  OGT:  glorious day outdoors with PC and the family, sweet messages from loved ones and friends, stained glass Lauren gave me
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Slot Canyon, New Mexico
New Week
  • Slept all night after such a sweet Sunday; breakfast on the patio with PC and the kitties; a new little stray kitty took refuge in our ash tree with Purrcy on the ground below; did some banking, blogging, got the laundry started then mixed up this Italian wedding soup for dinner and then we headed to the gym: stairstepper, ab weight machines, treadmill; when we got home PC worked with ADT to try to figure out why we keep getting error messages on our alarm system; I folded laundry, picked up more magnolia leaves from the rock garden; then we doned our wetsuits, climbed into the pool to scrub the tiles – we each cleaned about 15; talked with Valerie and my brother’s wife LeeAnn about meal-planning and groceries for our upcoming trip to Colorado; dinner, worked on blog writing, watched “America’s Most Wanted”; 6,538 steps.  05.12.2025  OGT:  starting work on cleaning our pool for the upcoming season
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Visiting kitty
  • Enjoyed being home this morning while PC went to the dermatologist; got showered and watched some of the Karen Read Re-trial, did some blog work, folded and put away laundry; then got showered and and dressed for a half-day sub assignment at one of the Ft. Bliss elementary schools for a teacher I subbed for last year; the kids were good and the afternoon was quick but such a sand storm came up, the kids and I were pelted with dust walking to the after school pick up area; reeived my first Social Security check – something I thought I would never see; stopped at the library on the way home; made this Big Mac in a bowl recipe for dinner; watched more “Matlock” before bed; 8,399 steps.  05.13.2025  OGT:  opportunities
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
All of the things in the Milam Elementary lost and found
Wednesday
  • HuMp dAy…terribly windy all night and again this morning; showered, dressed and had breakfast, did some emailing, blog reading, banking before the gym: leg weight machines, elliptical, treadmill; stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things we didn’t get with last week’s order; salad for lunch; worked on my Ageless Style post and got it finished; warmed up the hot tub and scrubbed the tiles in there for 2 hours, oh, they look so much better!!; made this quick chicken salad for dinner then we ran to do our first drop-in visit for kitties Roly and Omega; home to eat chicken salad sandwiches; ordered this rash guard, UPF protection jacket, racerback tank top and high-waisted swim pants for our rafting adventure; watched the Reds lose a disappointing game then more “Matlock”; 7,162 steps.  05.14.2025  OGT:  cleaning up our pool for the coming summer season
  • Set the alarm this morning so we could get over to visit Roly and Omega by 7:30 am; then spent over an hour in the gym: arms, bike, treadmill; Brennyn was given a very special award at work, so proud of her devotion and dedication; late breakfast then watched some of the Karen Read trial while dusting, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms upstairs; scrapbooked with my sister for a couple of hours while PC scrubbed more tiles; leftover Italian wedding soup and chicken salad sammies; over to visit Omega and Roly again; dusted the living room; cleaned the stove; technology in all areas and on all devices was out to get me today; made lemon bars and did a Supernatural workout; 9,748 steps.  05.15.2025  OGT:  glad for a new day tomorrow
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
First scrapbook page for our Alaskan cruise
Fri-YAY
  • Woke up at 6:00 am, cat-napped til time to get up to do the drop-in visit with Roly and Omega then home to eat breakfast, shower and dress for the field trip to the zoo with Cami’s class; listened to Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry, the book club’s May book, in the car on the way; Cami was so happy to see me, wrapped her legs around me and hugged tight; we had fun walking around the zoo with her classmates and wonderful teacher; the rhino was hilarious playing with a ball all over his enclosure; was glad to see the prairie dogs back; the kids enjoyed a picnic lunch then played in the splash pad until time to leave; I had planned to leave about 11:30 but wound up staying with my baby until 1:30 and she was so appreciative and sweet; home to finish the housecleaning I started yesterday, PC had vacuumed and mopped and cleaned the stairs; then we went to the gym: cardio day – stairstepper and treadmill (have run twice this week!!); very early dinner of leftovers (again); watched the Reds win while doing blog reading; another drop-in visit with the kitties; popcorn and an Ultra beer before bed as we finished up this first season of “Matlock” – disappointing ending that left lots of question marks; 10,836 steps.  05.16.2025  OGT:  spending one-on-one time with Cami 
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Weekending
  • Whew, I am tired tonight; up early to do the kitty visit with Roly and Omega before meeting teacher friends Cindy and Benita for breakfast at iHop, nice to catch up with them and their families; trimmed our oleander when I got home making it look more like a tree, helped PC check our sprinklers – what an long, on-going mess these sprinklers have been for months as he tries to get them all working; laid down for a little bit before heading to the Fountains at Farrah to walk around, taking pictures of tropical prints; late lunch/early dinner at Jason’s Deli where we wrote for about 45 minutes; home to scrub the pool tiles and listen to the Reds game on the outdoor TV; chicken nuggets for supper; secnd drop-in visit with the kitties; lemon bars for a bedtime snack; watched Friday’s Karen Read Retrial court proceedings; started “Your Friends and Neighbors” on PrimeTV; 7,702 steps.  05.17.2025  OGT:  laughing with friends 
  • Sunday and we were back to church for the first time in a while but not until we did our drop-in visit with Omega and Roly; we had Whataburger and walked around the outlet mall before coming home; I scrapbooked with Valerie for a couple of hours and PC worked on the tiles in the pool but the wind was really flapping and the water was really cold so we hope to finish tomorrow – about 40 tiles left to clean; was dragging all afternoon, made this almost-like-fried chicken for dinner – it is really tasty and easy, bakes for 45 minutes in the overn and voila, dinner is served; did our evening visit with the kitties; popcorn and a glass of wine for bedtime snack while we watched a couple of episodes of “Goliath” on Prime; 5,298 steps.  05.18.2025  OGT:  good message about Haaman at church
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
It is so dry here that the dust made my black shoes look gray
Another New Week
  • Monday…up early to do our last drop-in kitty visit, then on to the gym: abs weight machines, stairstepper and treadmill; drained about 6″ of water from the pool then started scrubbing pool tiles again; goodness, the water is so cold and the wind was blowing 90 to nothin’; stopped for a lunch break at the patio table in the sun; then we cleaned the pool filters, PC cleaned the chlorinator and I cleaned part of the rock garden of debris in hopes of keeping it out of the pool; talked to Kevin and LeeAnn about our upcoming trip; 2 Bayer Back and Body with dinner, refried bean soup which rubbed me the wrong way; worked on grocery list for my MIL and our trip to Colorado; got most of the laundry done; 5,655 steps.  05.19.2025  OGT:  the pool is clean!!
Proud Gabba
  • Wanted so badly to finish my dream but it was already 8:00 am, and the kitties were hungry; dreamed my MIL May was working with the Resistance during WWII and was trying to help me escape to safety; jumped into finishing laundry, changing sheets on the bed, brushing the pool, watering plants, feeding the kitties, folding clothes and putting them away, putting away all of my Easter and spring decor as triple digits are expected this week and it is spring no more; gym: leg weight machines, elliptical machine; PC had our pool water checked at Leslie’s and started treating the water; quick hair trim then home to scrapbook for a bit before showering and dressing for Lucia’s art award presentation at EPISD headquarters – her beautiful mission drawing has received so much acclaim and photos after, so many really incredible pieces of art on display; stopped for a quick dinner at Brown Bag Deli, home to just veg, pool cleaning whopped our behinds, 9,127 steps.  05.20.2025  OGT:  recognition for Lucia’s artistic talents
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  • More very vivid dreams last night and right up until I opened my eyes this morning; really enjoyed the slow pace of the day after a hectic first of the week; breakfast, worked in the yard trimming the bougainvillea and treating the Oklahoma redbud for cutter beetles; listened to the Reds game before lunch while working on my Daily Om memoir writing course – it has been awhile; watched more of the Karen Read Retrial on YouTube while cleaning more of the rock garden; our pool water was absolutely sparkling after PC added chemicals and salt yesterday and the pump ran all night; scrapbooked with my sister and worked on the first pages of our cruise; had a life counseling appointment with Christie, we talked about things at which I am successful; leftover chicken for dinner; watched several episodes of “Goliath” before bed; 2,593 steps (was I even awake?).  05.21.2025  OGT:  being home all day
Opportunities
  • Thirteen years ago in the wee hours of the morning, we lost my dad.  I got there too late for him to realize I was there so our goodbyes were one-sided.  We will be taking my parents’ ashes to Colorado this time next week to sprinkled at a ranch where we often vacationed.  So thankful for the subbing and Rover.com opportunities that allow me to make a little extra money but to also be with kids and animals, something I enjoy; got the kitties fed, ate breakfast, scrubbed the pool, then we went to the gym for a quick workout: arm weight machines, treadmill; showered and dressed and off to sub for my favorite second grade class at Zac White – the kids were good and the afternoon was quick; stopped at Target to get a gift card for the birthday girl next door and found the cutest strappy raffia sandals with a kitten heel on clearance; look forward to wearing them with dresses; downloaded the Audible version of Horse by Geraldine Brooks as reading it was not working out for me and listened on the way home; made this Cheddar Bay ground beef casserole (thank you, Laura) – it was yummy, should have made a salad with it but too tired; Facetimed with Brennyn; watched the movie “IQ” on Prime and then more “Goliath” before bed;  8,357 steps.  05.22.2025  OGT:  the foundation my parents gave us
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
My favorite second grade
TGIF-yay
  • Worn slick tonight – busy Fri-yay, starting with half-day sub job for a 3rd grade class at one of the military elementaries, kids were good; PC sent photos from where he was fishing at the lake where he plays ball – caught a fish; stopped at KFC for some nuggets and it took 20 minutes to fill my order for 8 nuggets, have mercy; stopped at the library and the employee at the circulation desk was MIA for 15+ minutes, what is wrong with people??; then I set my phone on the console and it hit the ignition button and turned off my car in the middle of the road with a police officer right behind me – scary; over the mountain to play with the grands while Lauren worked; we played ‘shop’ kind of like we do at my house, then the girls and I took clothing and toy donations to the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter, we wanted the girls to learn about the difficulties some children have and to realize how fortunate they are; there was a kitty at the shelter and Lucia fell in love, saying we need to take kitty food next time; stopped for ice cream at DQ, then back to the girls’ house to color a few minutes; back home, frozen pizza for supper; finished my Alaska Cruise Adventures Part I post; watched the Reds lose, an episode of “Goliath” but could harldy wait to crawl in bed; 7,489 steps.  05.23.2025  OGT:  opportunities, time spent with the girls
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Donating the girls’ toys and clothes
Dive In
  • We officially kicked off the summer season by opening the pool today; I woke up at 3:30 am to turn on the heat so the water would be bearable; dozed until 7:00 am, after breakfast cleaned the front porch and the patio and furniture; gym:  stairstepper, treadmill, ab weight machines; did a Rover.com kitty visit with Biscuit; bought a few groceries at Walmart, picked up photos at Walgreens to scrapbook in Colorado; home to prepare these super tender ribs (Instapot then grilled) and jalapeño poppers and to bake my German chocolate birthday cake at long last; kids arrived about 1:30 and we were in the pool for hours, swimming, playing, laughing, talking; Facetimed with Brennyn, my poor baby, I miss her so; ate dinner then sat around the table and visited; kids left about 7:00 pm; I am happily exhausted; 7,318 steps.  05.24.2025  OGT:  spending time in our beautiful pool
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Opening Day for the pool
Recovering
  • Awoke to Purrsnickitty crying for breakfast, opened the door to let her and Purrcival in for family time before getting up to shower and start our day; we decided to skip church yet again, go to Buttersmith for breakfast, then wandered about Academy (PC checking out fishing equipment for our Colorado trip), Michael’s where I was disappointed in the very limited amount of scrapbook paper they had, and the outlet mall for mountain-themed tees (on sale, $6.99) at Columbia and PC bought a Lucky tee at Lucky Brand for his lucky fishing shirt; home to sit for a little bit and watch the Reds lose another game, then into our wet suits and into the pool to touch up the grout around the tile, but only got about a third of the way, will finish later; leftover Cheddar Bay ground beef casserole for supper; watched videos about Creede, Colorado (me) and fishing (PC); blog reading all evening, too; 6010 steps.  05.25.2025  OGT:  anticipating our trip to Colorado
  • Monday that felt like a Sunday.  Thankful to all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to defend and protect our country and way of life, happy Memorial Day.  Got the kitties fed, laundry started, ate the last bit of my (much belated) birthday cake for breakfast then off to 2Ten Coffee Shop on the westside to meet with the writing group for 2 hours of writing on the patio, which was very pleasant; I wrote on my DailyOm memoir course; the part 2 of my Alaskan Cruise Adventures and the essay about jury duty I have been working on; stopped at Hobby Lobby to get patriotic fabric for a 4th of July wreath and more scrapbook paper to work on in Colorado and PC bought feathers, beads, and jewelry wire to make his own lures; picked up our grocery order and filled the tank at Walmart; did our last drop-in visit with Biscuit; home to watch the Reds get a win; worked on blog posts and blog reading; cheese and crackers for supper; watched the second half of my BFF’s OKC Thunder championship basketball game; 4,278 steps.  05.26.2025  OGT:  writing
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Our writing group, Let’s Write
What Day is it?
  • So confused all day.  Actually yesterday and today.  Feels like we have had 2 Sundays and 2 Mondays this week.  Today, I am told, was Tuesday… woke up before the alarm and let the kitties come in for family time, then jumped in the shower, dressed, fed kitties, ate breakfast and headed to the doctor for another check on my now-healed heel; X-rays looked good, foot is still stiff (will always be), hurts and swells at time but I think I am back to about 85% and he released me forever – or until, he said, the pain becomes so bad that I want surgery to reduce it – uh, no thanks; had planned to go to the gym but skipped it, got my eyebrows threaded (do you shape yours?), PC had a haircut; we picked up a few more groceries for the trip; I scored a darling white eyelet skirt (similar, similar) for $12!!; home to eat lunch, finish laundry, PC mowed the yard, I ironed and began putting things in my suitcase; frozen pizza for dinner with a salad; watched the Reds win; tired tonight; 6,112 steps.  05.27.2025  OGT: my foot has healed well
  • Busy day, finally got my steps!!  Showered, breakfast and started right away making cinnamon rolls then orange rolls to take to Colorado, channeled my sweet mama and grandmother while making their recipes; I think they turned out okay, need to make them more often; had to follow mom’s handwritten recipe, and the first version I used omitted the yeast in the ingredients…I knew there had to be yeast in them, then realized I had a second copy of the recipe and there was the yeast;  made a chicken salad to take with us and spaghetti sauce for our Friday night meal; went to the gym while the rolls were rising; RAN on the treadmill, elliptical and stairstepper; home for lunch, finished packing, gathered some scrapbooking supplies to take, fed all the plants with MiracleGro; over the mountain to take Luaren and fam some cinnamon and orange rolls; PC ran into Bass Pro Shop for MORE fishing gear; stopped for McD’s for dinner; watched the Reds lose and the last minutes of the OKC Thunder basketball game in honor of my BFF Sharon who is Thunder’s most faithful fan; packed the car with all the groceries other than the cold things; polished my nails; tired again tonight; 10,101 steps.  05.28.2025  OGT:  my cinnamon rolls turned out well
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Baking my grandma’s and mom’s cinnamon and orange rolls
  • Up early to shower, dress and throw everything in the car and head for the Rocky Mountains; hated to say goodbye to the kitties, always hard; I drove up to Albuquerque where we had Subway for lunch, then on into Santa Fe where PC took over; long drive with the last 50 miles taking forever – but isn’t that always the way??; Val and Roby, Kevin and LeeAnn were already at our house, check it out here; I had fixed spaghetti sauce and frozen it so we had that with a salad and garlic bread for dinner; we sat around and visited for a little bit, watched for deer in the backyard, used the Merlin app to identify birds by their song; it is so peaceful and green and beautiful, kind of like coming home; glad to hug my brother and sister’s necks and their spouses; 5,132 steps.  05.29.2025  OGT:  safe travels bringing all of us together 
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Our VRBO in Creede, Colorado
  • I think we were all too wound up and tired to sleep well, if that makes sense; had breakfast, showered, dressed; Kevin had a conference call for about an hour; Val and I made a video for the books on Come Read with Me’s list for June, see it here; then we ventured into Creede to walk down the main drag, check out the shops, buy thyme that I had forgotten to bring; quaint little village with a unique view of the mountains and old silver and amethyst mines at the edge of town; back home for lunch; everyone took a little siesta then Val and I scrapbooked for a bit; took a walk up the street behind the house to an elevation of 9,200 feet – we were all huffing and puffing; LeeAnn prepared a delicious pork loin which Kevin cooked on the grill, we sat on the porch breathing in the fresh air and listening to John Denver’s greatest hits; after dinner we played a game where we posed questions to each other that required us to reflect back over our lives; had a mini-meltdown before falling asleep, worrying about sprinklig Mom and Dad tomorrow;  10,950 steps.  05.30.2025  OGT:  family, Paul being patient and loving
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Hiking near the silver mines in Creede, Colorado
  • A final farewell to my parents.  Woke up dreading what the day might hold but it all turned out so well, thank God; we had breakfast, gathered snacks, water, fishing gear, bug spray and sun screen then headed on the 30-mile drive to the ranch where we had spent so many childhood family vacations; the ranch is no longer but the cabins and lodge remain; we carried our parents’ ashes down to the bank of the Rio Grande, thanked them for the strong foundation they gave the 3 of us ‘kids’ and took turns casting them into the rapidly flowing waters of the river; it was tough and emotional but we granted Mom and Dad’s final wishes; we hiked for about an hour afterward, reminiscing about the years we vacationed at Sky High; had planned to eat dinner at Antlers but we were all worn out after the events of the morning so returned to our VRBO for lunch and some quiet time, working on a custom jigsaw puzzle I had bought with a picture of the Rockies and our family’s name; late in the afternoon we drove into town for dinner at Kip’s Grill, back home and into bed fairly early as we were all worn out but it was a good, very good day; 8,480 steps.  05.31.2025  OGT:  celebrating my parents and launching them in their happy place, love between my sister and brother and me
Sentence a Day, 05.2025
Sprinkling Mom and Dad

Ended this very long month on such a high note as we said goodbye to our parents one last time.  Sure put life in perspective and reminded me that it is so precious.  And that we all have a finite time on this earth.

1 Second Each Day

 

Here’s a quick video review of May in pictures.

 

https://onceuponatimehappilyeverafter.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MashedVideo_1748872024057.mp4

2025 Word of the Year (WOTY)

 

You may remember my word of the year is nurture.  And I originally planned to try to nurture a little better those I love most.  But somewhere early in the year, I realized that in order for me to love others better, I need to love myself better first.  And I have been!!  Here are some of the ways:

  • I have been working with my friend Christie at So What? Now What? for several months now with 30-minute life counseling sessions every two weeks.  This has been a great way to nurture myself.
  • going to the gym.
  • taking my vitamins and drinking my water.
  • tackling projects around the house in smaller bits over a longer length of time.
  • taking photographs of all the beauty around me
  • sleeping well, taking siestas in the early evening where I just lay on the couch for a few minutes
  • scrapbooking, writing
  • enjoying breakfast on the patio

Your Turn

 

Overall, I would give our May a good solid 8, just like April.  This time in Creede, Colorado has been wonderful.  Talking about memories from our childhood visits and making new memories with PC, Valerie, Roby, Kevin and LeeAnn.

Hope whatever you are up to this coming weekend, you find a little ME time (YOU time) to do the things you like doing best.  Thank you for poppin’ round!!

Hugs and kisses,

leslie

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About Leslie Roberts Clingan

I am an aspiring blogger and children's author, wife, mother, daughter, sister, - in-law, responsible pet owner and recently retired elementary school librarian. I hope to figure out the next chapter of my life as I transition from crazy, busy work world onto totally idle retirement and now to something in-between.

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  1. Rebecca J Vincent

    June 6, 2025 at 6:45 am

    what a beautiful place to spread your parents ashes. I know that had to be so emotional but also so beautiful. BIG HUGS TO YOU.

    I could never do a cruise just because I have such balance issues / vestibular issues so badly – I always feel like I’m on a cruise ship every day on dry land LOL

    You’re watching the Karen Read trial too???? OHHH GURLLLL – we could TALK LOL

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Hello!

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In what felt like the blink of an eye, I have gone from full-time wife to my sweet husband, hands-on mom to my two beautiful daughters and elementary school librarian to a retired, empty nester with lots of time on my hands. Join me on my journey to rediscover who I am. Glad you are here...
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Jun 12

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Jun 3

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06.02.2025 Took a group effort to finish our Roberts Family Rocky Mountain jigsaw puzzle.  Got 'er done just as our trip winds down. Special thanks to my BIL Roby for all his help. 

#jigsawpuzzles 
#rockymountainhigh 
#takesavillage 
#insta2025📸 
#familyvacation❤️ 
#familylove❤️ 
#elpasoblogger 
#elpaso915 
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#grandmasofinstagram 
#lifeafterretirement

06.02.2025 Took a group effort to finish our Roberts Family Rocky Mountain jigsaw puzzle. Got `er done just as our trip winds down. Special thanks to my BIL Roby for all his help.

#jigsawpuzzles
#rockymountainhigh
#takesavillage
#insta2025📸
#familyvacation❤️
#familylove❤️
#elpasoblogger
#elpaso915
#onceuponatimehappilyeverafter
#grandmasofinstagram
#lifeafterretirement
...

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06.01.2025 Exploring. Fishing. Puzzling. Loving life.

#onceuponatimehappilyeverafter 
#elpasoblogger 
#grandmasofinstagram 
#elpaso915 
#lifeafterretirement 
#insta2025📸 
#elpasowomen 
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06.01.2025 Exploring. Fishing. Puzzling. Loving life.

#onceuponatimehappilyeverafter
#elpasoblogger
#grandmasofinstagram
#elpaso915
#lifeafterretirement
#insta2025📸
#elpasowomen
#lifespurpose
#lovinglife❤️
...

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05.30.2025 Family vacation with my brother and sister and everyone's spouses to our childhood vacation spot. Here to sprinkle our mom and dad in this place that was near and dear to our hearts.

#familyvacation❤️ 
#familylove❤️ 
#sprinklingashes 
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#insta2025📸 
#elpasoblogger 
#grandmasofinstagram 
#elpaso915 
#lifeafterretirement 
#brothersandsisters

05.30.2025 Family vacation with my brother and sister and everyone`s spouses to our childhood vacation spot. Here to sprinkle our mom and dad in this place that was near and dear to our hearts.

#familyvacation❤️
#familylove❤️
#sprinklingashes
#sayingafinalgoodbye
#onceuponatimehappilyeverafter
#insta2025📸
#elpasoblogger
#grandmasofinstagram
#elpaso915
#lifeafterretirement
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05.24.2025 Sharing our Alaskan adventures. 

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05.24.2025 Sharing our Alaskan adventures.

#lifeafterretirement
#lifeisgood❤️
#insta2025📸
#elpasoblogger
#elpaso915
#alaskancruise
#firstcruise
#lastwilderness
#onceuponatimehappilyeverafter
#grandmasofinstagram
...

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05.23.2025 Donating some of their gently used toys, shoes, clothes. Proud of them. 

#onceuponatimehappilyeverafter 
#childcrisis 
#grandmasofinstagram 
#insta2025📸 
#elpaso915 
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05.23.2025 Donating some of their gently used toys, shoes, clothes. Proud of them.

#onceuponatimehappilyeverafter
#childcrisis
#grandmasofinstagram
#insta2025📸
#elpaso915
#granddaughterlove💗
#blessedtobeablessing
#elpasoblogger
...

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