tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59065752024-03-21T07:31:19.521-07:00blogdeboDeb Mundorff's journal updated randomly.Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.comBlogger494125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-75367219794246498962022-08-31T17:07:00.005-07:002022-09-02T08:17:37.593-07:00Bucket List Item: Busch StadiumMany years ago, I asked my first husband, Chuck, if he believed in Heaven. I'm not sure why I asked; he was not a religious person (nor am I). But he responded yes, he does. Heaven, he explained, is the St. Louis Cardinals winning game seven of the World Series. His parents had family from Missouri, so he had been a lifelong fan, even though he never lived there himself.Since I had met Chuck in Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-57705354423921405232020-01-09T13:30:00.000-08:002020-01-09T13:30:07.626-08:00Toast to the ones that we lost on the waySamantha just sent me a link to a new Maroon 5 song called Memories. After listening to the song, I thought it was her having a moment. She does that. Here are the lyrics that jumped out at me:
Here's to the ones that we got
Cheers to the wish you were here, but you're not
'Cause the drinks bring back all the memories
Of everything we've been through
Toast to the ones here today
Toast to the Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-87702984559959932652015-08-03T21:34:00.003-07:002022-09-02T08:28:33.097-07:00Best Thing(s)My family has a tradition of sharing our "best thing" at the dinner table. It was a ploy started many years ago designed to encourage the kids to expand on "fine" when we asked how their day was. We largely discontinued it after Chuck died. It was hard, we were sad, and we just couldn't for a while come up with anything positive. We never restarted the practice with any regularity even after Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-61474950527259921232014-09-15T07:59:00.003-07:002014-09-15T14:14:28.187-07:00
It took a couple years after losing Chuck before I was interested in dating. When I did first get involved with someone, I did it all wrong. It was a mutual friend - someone I knew through our kid's sports. And as hard as this is to admit, I fell way too hard, way too fast, and probably for the wrong reasons, or at least not enough of the right ones. He looked like Chuck, he had a great rapport Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-73790761822919757282014-04-28T16:46:00.003-07:002014-04-28T17:22:34.007-07:00My son is leaving for college next fall, and will spend his first term abroad. He will be at the University College Dublin, in a program through Northeastern University (in Boston). Charlie has connected recently with other American students in this same program and they began discussing Thanksgiving overseas. Apparently, Charlie volunteered to have his mother teach him to roast a turkey so they Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-53801166601698747312013-12-31T14:57:00.003-08:002022-09-02T08:35:25.781-07:00Here's to a VERY HEALTHY 2014 - cause I'm kinda over the whole surgery thing
The day before Christmas I got a call from my surgeon that
despite a negative biopsy, a cancerous growth was found in the part of my
thyroid that was removed. Although made me a little panicky (the whole sole
surviving parent role has me exceptionally aware that I need to live a long,
healthy life) the doctor was able to talk me down with reassuring words like “encapsulated”,
“very small”, “veryDeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-31664705925467058142013-11-20T10:38:00.002-08:002022-09-02T08:33:11.468-07:00Seven ThingsSo the game all over Facebook the past couple weeks is to write seven things that people may not know about you. Here's my list:
My kids aren't allowed to have snakes as pets. Or toy snakes. Or watch TV shows about snakes when I’m in the room. Or draw pictures of snakes. My fear of snakes is so paralyzing just writing this is going to give me nightmares for a week. When Chuck started talking Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-12077431602205028052013-11-15T16:00:00.004-08:002013-11-15T16:00:53.293-08:00I had a long training session at work today on leadership - and found myself fairly restless. I have other projects I'm in the middle of that I would have liked to have the day to work on. However at one point during the training they ran this TED talk by Brene Brown on the power of vulnerability and how dependent our ability to make connections is on our willingness to be hurt. It really struck Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-63692800290918244572013-08-27T14:58:00.000-07:002013-08-27T22:23:15.847-07:00An overdue response to the most popular QOTW: "What surgery did you have?"
I had a hysterectomy a week ago today. While I’ve been open about the fact that I was having surgery, I was sort of embarrassed to admit what for. But several folks asked, and I’m not sure why it should be embarrassing… so here goes. I had several uterine fibroid tumors, benign, but growing, that were causing various problems and needed to go.
Before the surgery I did have to have a fewDeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-45547340294410606292013-07-12T09:50:00.000-07:002013-07-12T15:44:18.752-07:00Mama's still got game. Or Ducks tickets, at least...
I was proposed to this week. On a second date. OK – granted, we were talking Oregon Football and not only could I recite Jerry Allen's call word for word when Wheaton made "The Pick" that marked the turning point in the program ("..it’s…INTERCEPTED! IT’S INTERCEPTED! Kenny Wheaton has the ball! Down to the 35, the 40…KENNY WHEATON'S GONNA SCORE! KENNY WHEATON'S GONNA SCORE! Touchdown! Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-73866679275242265652013-06-21T15:57:00.003-07:002013-06-21T16:09:42.910-07:00The awesome power of a teenage boy appetite as he gets out of a pool is something to see…
I started work at 8 this morning… to attend an early meeting. An hour and half into the workday - while I'm sitting in a conference room with coworkers, trying to earn a living and support my children, I get a phone call. "Mom, is there food at home?"
I was caught a little off guard, still in work brain and not quite understanding what he meant as I'm doing a quick mental inventory of Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-13565513561907606022013-06-16T23:24:00.000-07:002013-06-17T10:40:51.821-07:00Father's Day 2013
Today was so difficult. I knew it was coming, but still the constant stream of Father’s Day reminders on Facebook, in stores, etc just make it hard to escape the fact that my kids don’t have their father any more. I know too that Thursday, marking the anniversary of Chuck’s death, along with what should have been our 21st wedding anniversary, is going to be another tough day to get through. Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-91042537284804678202013-06-06T10:00:00.002-07:002013-06-06T10:00:47.933-07:00I wish I believed in horoscopes. Or balanced energy flow. Cause this doesn't sound to bad.
Leo July 23 - August 22
After the emotional havoc you went through over the last few weeks, the period beginning today will be quite soothing. You can take advantage of these smoother, calmer waters to rediscover emotional harmony and improve the balance of your energy flow.Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-86151804080160984922013-05-30T20:57:00.002-07:002013-05-30T21:21:59.563-07:00
At the end of her sixth grade year, and first year playing electric base in the Cal Young Beginning Band, Samantha decided she wanted to audition for Jazz Band. This band was primarily an 8th grade band, but she wanted to give it a shot. She worked with Chuck over the course of a couple weeks to learn the blues scales and songs she would need to know for the audition. It was a very exciting day Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-15624744887769818632013-05-16T15:16:00.000-07:002013-06-16T23:20:12.929-07:00Beer and Baseball: How to get him to respond to your text messageI have a few male friends that aren't always as responsive as I would like them to be when I'm trying to make plans. Texting seems to be their preferred method of communication - because of the minimal effort required I suspect - but even then, I sometimes don't hear back as quickly as I'd like when I'm trying to make plans. I'm busy - so if I'm asking a question I want to know the answer as soonDeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-79226163829866738482013-05-02T17:53:00.005-07:002013-05-30T21:04:37.736-07:00hooray for Spotify
I realize I’m late to the party on this, but I have become completely addicted to Spotify. It’s incredible to be able to build play lists and listen to pretty much anything I want, anytime I want, anywhere I want. I believe it is far superior to iTunes because I don’t have to buy songs, and to Pandora – because I don’t have to play a Radio Station but can build lists of songs I pick. It feels Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-30733366419415879542013-04-29T10:06:00.001-07:002013-04-29T10:06:08.007-07:00Getting dressed one morning this weekend... noticed a new pair of panties had laundering instructions that included "iron on cool." Who irons their underwear? Decided this was not something I was going to add to my already way to long to-do list.Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-147960776861225982013-04-25T15:41:00.000-07:002013-04-25T16:42:01.776-07:00Spring is in the Air
We are preparing for the upcoming Prom in my household. It's going to be a crazy weekend. The girl has a softball tournament, the boy is juggling his prom obligations with participation in a Water Polo tournament that will hopefully qualify his team for the Junior Olympics in Orange County - and he has asked me to host dinner for 25 kids going to the dance (not sure why there is an odd Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-73209021173308334682013-04-24T12:45:00.001-07:002013-04-25T16:50:26.439-07:00
Earlier this week I drove out to Churchill HS to see the Lancers and Sheldon Irish Varsity Softball matchup. On the way to the field I had to pull over and let three emergency vehicles pass with their lights and sirens on.
I continued towards the game after they passed and grew increasingly distressed to see they were headed the same way I was. We have strong connections to both these Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-78987870609326954092013-03-29T20:52:00.000-07:002013-03-30T08:50:45.931-07:00
Samantha and I are wrapping up a week in Tucson. While Charlie was on a school trip to France and Spain, the girls enjoyed visiting family, Spring Training games, Pac 12 Softball, NCAA basketball tournament games on TV, swimming, sunshine, and some cocktails for mom. This is the first time we have been to Tucson since Chuck died. Sammie posted on his facebook wall last night.
IDeborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-74156403570178151602013-02-28T11:57:00.002-08:002016-10-09T23:30:40.677-07:00Baseball, Barbecuing and dead hydrangeas
When my household went from two parents to one in 2011 – I had to take on responsibility for, well, everything.
Some of my new roles I've embraced enthusiastically.
Becoming a more engaged sports fan to bond with my son. This wasn't a conscious choice – it just kind of evolved. I was already a huge Ducks fan – and I followed the St. Louis Cardinals and the Denver Broncos. I grew up watching Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-45095857575473996062013-02-04T13:30:00.001-08:002013-02-04T13:34:07.856-08:00
Last week, I decided I wanted a couple of new nighties. I'm busy and not wild about mall shopping, so I ordered them online. When I went to checkout, I noticed they offered free shipping if you pick it up at their retail store… one of which is located just down the street from my office in the mall. This seemed like a good deal – I forget what the shipping fee was, but I remember thinking free Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-11666933456406433962013-01-27T23:30:00.000-08:002013-01-28T08:28:45.970-08:00hope
Hope is terrifying. Once you have hope, there becomes something again you are afraid to lose. There's a certain sense of security in knowing things can't get much worse. It is so tempting to back away from the things in my life that are giving me the smallest sense of hope, with the slightest provocation, just to protect myself from any potential pain.
Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-80763429086038359532013-01-27T05:00:00.000-08:002013-01-28T15:03:10.605-08:00Happy Birthday Matthew
It's hard to believe my little brother Matthew would have been 32 today. He sure looked like his sister, minus the awkwardness of being 12 in the early 80s with the Dorothy Hammel haircut and braces. I cannot believe it can still hurt so much 27 years later that he and Christopher are gone. It's hard not to wish that my children could have grown up knowing their uncles.Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5906575.post-69015132352244504062013-01-15T19:46:00.001-08:002013-01-15T19:46:42.313-08:00Mexican Chorizo and Sweet Potato Mama I'm Sick Soup
Samantha is home with a cold/sore throat. Figured spicy homemade soup might help, so I made this tonight. Loved it... and without too many tortilla chips, it is reasonably healthy.
Mexican Chorizo and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients:
6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt
3/4 lbs. fresh chorizo or other spicy sausage, casings removed
1/2 teaspoon ground Deborahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17915162364770762837noreply@blogger.com0