My Biggest Flaw

Sometimes our biggest flaws are also our best assets.  Take mine for example.  I always do things as soon as I assume they have to be done.  This has advantages:  bills always get paid on time---but sometimes I pay them twice.  Once when I check on line to see what I owe, and then again when the bill arrives.

I tried to register my Volleyball teams for the US Open today and found that the online process hasn't been set up yet.

I tried to register my Basketball team for the Sr. Olympics National Championships today, but got an email that I have to be patient.  Several States haven't submitted their qualifiers and so the packets haven't been mailed out yet for us to register.

I change lanes blocks before I have to turn right, only to find the the lanes merge into one.  At University I would have papers finished and ready to hand in and the Professor would give resource information that I could have used.  When we have guests for dinner, Poul gives me the "don't pick up their plates until everyone has finished" look because he knows that I'm anxious to get the dessert underway.  If I invite people for dinner at 6, the hot dishes are coming out of the oven at 6:05.

Today, though my house is under renovation, I put up the Xmas tree.  It's not even December!  One sign of snow last week and I was afraid I would be late for the big event.

Perhaps I know that once my mind is off, whatever it is, I won't be revisiting it.  Bills won't get paid, teams won't get registered, turns will be missed and Lord knows what else will be forgotten.  I've heard that 5 tablespoons of Coconut Oil daily will keep Dementia from taking control, so maybe I will make that a daily ritual and just chill out for the holidays.

Here's my Xmas Poem that I am setting to music.  Stations now are playing anything that mentions Xmas and who knows, it may be a multiple stream of income.  Anyway, enjoy a Merry Christmas.

A Centipede's Christmas

 

How doth the little centipede, proceed upon his way?

He really cannot make much speed this windy winter's day.

 

The ice and frost which make you slip, when balancing on two,

Are fifty times more apt to tip the centipede than you.

 

A thoughtless person I would be.  Nay, even cruel, I'd say.

If I'd ignore his silent plea and send him on his way.

 

So all my idle time this year was put to useful toil.

My work all done and Christmas here, I gazed on frozen soil.

 

And as my friend crawled through the roots, I handed him a box

With fifty little pairs of boots and a hundred little sox.

 

By. Mary Bendsen 

Houston- We have GOLD!

One of the things we do for our sponsor, Celadrin, is go on TV Interviews and this last weekend, when we were in Houston, TX for the Texas State Senior Games was do a live appearance on the Weekend Morning Show  at KPRC-TV NBC CH 2.  This can be viewed by clicking here.


Here we are setting our sights for the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  Who knows?  If you don't reach high you won't get the best at the top!

We left home on Thursday Oct. 21st and I had to travel 12 hours before meeting the team for an incredible meal at Del Frisco's  at the Galleria Mall.  We discovered great sales, primarily at Macy's and Chico's but I snagged some beautiful boots at Clark's.
On Friday we practiced for several hours and did a radio interview with Robyn Cuffee at KPFT-FM.  I don't know when it's airing after she edits a half hour down to 3 minutes.
The TV interview above was Saturday morning and we had a frustrating trip there due to a misleading address and new freeway construction.  Our GPS lead us in circles for about 45 minutes until we phoned the studio and had Amber Willis walk us through the route.  We got back to the Hyatt Summerfield Suites in time for complementary breakfast and more shopping.  We weren't impressed with Cheescake Factory where we had to wait nearly an hour to be seated that evening and it was so noisy and hectic that Mavis' granddaughter, Madelaine, was not the only one who wanted to leave.

After the tournament on Sunday, held at the Jewish Community Center, we had a swim and hot tub.  Madelaine enjoyed skating at the Gallaria while Loretta shopped.  Kitty and I lounged at Del Frisco's outdoor patio with some Calamari and drinks.  Quiet at last with the warm Texas breeze and great service gave us a special moment before the rest of the team joined us for dinner.  Thanks Celadrin.
Another 12 hours to get home, made shorter by my IPOD and books from Audible.com.  I've finished the Ender's Game series and am now listening to Treason, by Orson Scott Card.
Poul arrived home shortly before me.  He had a welcoming fire in the fireplace and lots of good stories to share.

The Legacy Continues

The second session, October 13-16, of the Huntsman World Senior Games was more than a good time.  Our team on the right dominated a field of 12 women's teams coming from all over the Continent.  We are west coast girls except for Donna who is living wherever she parks her Motor Home. 
Back Row L to R:
Mary Bendsen.... Nanoose , B.C.
Kate Phlaumer....Seattle, WA
Jeanne Kestly.....San Diego, CA
Front Row
Susan Jamison....Seattle, WA
Grace Smith.......Olympia, WA
Donna Backus....Wherever!
Carol Hackett... Santa Monica, CA

These women are all in their late sixties or seventies and play aggressive competitive volleyball.  We are proud to represent seniors in a healthy active lifestyle.  Our team gets along well, supporting each other and enjoying time together between games.  Jeanne and I shared a room and there was always adventure. We danced at the socialfunction, put on for all Volleyball players.  We were fascinated by our new friends, the FLDS four young ladies with pioneer dresses and reversed french braids. We enjoyed  lounging by the pool, hitch hiking to the International Market and  shopping at the boutiques. We watched the Men's Basketball competitions and the finals of the Men's Global Cup in Volleyball.  Russia, by the way, soundly beat the USA team in the final with Brazil taking the Bronze from Estonia.  Above is Jeanne with her choice from the Russian team!

When it was all over, I flew from St. George to Salt Lake City to Seattle to Victoria.  My dear Poul was waiting there at Midnight to drive me the 2 hours home.  I was up at 7:15 doing the laundry and preparing breakfast for my daughter Sandi and Mark who were staying for the weekend with six month old baby Ethan while Mark roughed in the plumbing for my bathroom renovations. 

It's good to be home.  On Thursday I go again.  This time Houston, for Basketball.

Session 1 at Huntsman World Games

After four days of playing volleyball in the 60+ division at St. George, Utah, my team, FloorPlay 60's, finished with the Gold in the Silver Division.  The picture here shows our team in Black with our libero in powder blue (#3) and the Silver place finishers, Mix & Match wearing blue with their libero in pink (#2).

The weather here this time of year is to die for; 80's in the day and 60 at night.  We eat out most meals and lie around the pool or hike in the famous Zion Park mountains in our spare time.  But mostly we sit in the gym with whistles and sweaty aging athletes.  Fun eh?

The picture shows from left to right, our coach Don Hackett, me, Jeanne Kestly, Loretta Monaco, Patty Payne, Lee Farnsworth, Carol Hackett and Grace Smith.  Missing is Scherry Donato who left before playing due to the death of her Mother.

The Global Cup is going on simultaneously with 50+ men's teams representing Russia, Canada, USA, Latvia, Brazil, and several others which I can't remember right now.  There are teams from Bolivia , Mexico, Canada and Brazil competing in the womens' divisions.  There were 20 teams in our 60+ womens division.

I had a massage today before the final.  I don't know that it helped a great deal, but I sure enjoyed it.  The body gets stiff after the first few days but then I settle in and tomorrow we begin the 2nd session of 65+ women.  Our Legacy 65 team has four of the same players (Mary, Jeanne, Carol and Grace) and we bring in 3 more strong fresh players. 

Too Busy--Mind is a blur.

I'm usually very organized.  But when I headed for my Granddaughter Talis' birthday, I had to return home to pick up the pumpkin pie and whipped cream I had baked especially for her dessert because it's her favorite.  Then as I started on the two hour drive to Victoria on Tuesday, I left my cell phone and IPod on the dining room table, charged and ready to go.  Tomorrow I leave for 10 days and I'm paranoid that something important will get left behind. 

I've got the uniforms, sneakers, knee pads, volleyball and pump, rosters, airline tickets, passports and whatever clothes will cram into the remaining room in my carry-on.  I never check luggage; not because they now charge extra for even the first bag, but because I have to cross the border and change flights 3 times.  If the uniforms didn't get there, it could be more than a little upsetting.  My teammates laugh which makes me all the more determined to fit everything in.  This trip is to St. George, Utah and the Huntsman World Senior Games.  I have put together Volleyball teams for the 60+ (FloorPlay60) and 65+ (Legacy 65) divisions and we should be competitive in both.

I leave behind my bathroom renovation projects and my husband, Poul, ready to take over and frame in the new structures.  He's also going to drive me to the airport and come to pick me up, a 2+ hour trip each way.  He will supervise my son-in-law, Mark who will rough in the plumbing and electrical while I'm away.  Today I picked up the rest of the tiling supplies and Mark will bring up the plumbing fixtures from Victoria when he comes.

Maybe when I get back, the body will be weary, but the brain will be recharged and back on track. 

Demolition Preceed Renovations

Call me cheap, I guess.  I'm saving $1500.00 by doing the demolition of our two bathrooms preceding the construction.  So far I've taken down the ceiling in the rooms below to allow the plumbing and electrical work to proceed.  There used to be a dropped ceiling there, which we will raise to full height and sound proof the ceiling so anyone living beneath us isn't disturbed by our wild parties....ha ha.

Today I pried up a glued down parquet floor and removed the tiles from around the jacuzzi.  Oh yeah, I stripped the cedar from the walls and around the skylights.  It felt like a 30 year old sauna...but now it feels like a construction zone.

I have been sleeping in each morning and get pretty tired after 8 hours of this kind of work.  I've been skipping my aerobics classes, but still wake with the odd sore muscle.  Tearing drywall off the ceiling is good for the abs.  And, even though I say "45 forever", I know I had more stamina at 45 than I do at 65.

Happy Anniversary 15th

This is the second marriage for both of us; the first being 28 years before ending our first ones.  So the vows we made 15 years ago when Poul and I married were, " for 28 years, or until someone better comes along".  So far, no one better has come along and we have another 13 years before we re-evaluate. 

We celebrated with a two and a half hour meal at a fantastic Greek Restaurant, Asteras on Wesley St.  Not only was the food fantastic, but the atmosphere and staff were very Greek, and the service terrific without being intrusive.


We celebrated on the 18th of Sept. but our anniversary is really Sept. 16th.  But Poul had Writing Club and I had sub-trades to interview for our renovation and our good friends, George and Cheryl, who joined us, were good to go on Saturday.  One must remain flexible.

There's GOLD in them Colorado hills!

Just got back from the Rocky Mountain Senior Games Basketball Tournament in Greeley Colorado with the Celadrin Tigerettes.  We all flew into Denver on Thursday Sept. 9th.  We stayed at the Marriott Suites and each of us had a room to ourselves with large TV in the room but with shared kitchen and bathrooms between three of us.  We had a great dinner at the Keg and since Loretta is celebrating a birthday (either 71 or 73 depending on who you ask), we shared an amazing chocolate dessert after.

Before we could leave Denver in the morning, we appeared on the DayBreak show for KWGN- TV.  You can catch the Celadrin Tigerettes news clip

The Tournament in Greeley was held in a beautiful city owned community center.  We played four games in two days and won them all though it was some of the toughest competition.  New Mexico Blue Jays won the bronze, Rocky Mountain High Tops from Colorado won Silver and by winning the Gold, we brought our 12 year record to 180 wins, 5 losses.  I have only been with the team for 7 years but this weekend I contributed well averaging 15 points a game.  We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Greeley, and celebrated Loretta's birthday again at the Red Lobster restaurant.  More chocolate!  But after the tournament finished, before showering, I drove the 10 passenger van back to Denver.  I love my Magellan GPS which I bought at Costco.  It makes traveling in strange cities enjoyable, knowing you can never get lost or be late for anything.

Celebrating the birthday girl for the third time at another posh restaurant in downtown Denver, we laughed until chocolate came out of our noses.  Even though we had showered, we still wore our warm up jackets and medals and people continually asked us about the games.  Some had even seen us on TV the day before.

We were up at 4:30 AM this morning to get us all to our 8 AM flights and return the Van on time.  I flew with Air Canada though United covered the flight between Denver and Vancouver.  What's up with that?  Neither that flight, nor the one over to Nanaimo were filled so I had a seat to myself both ways.  So good to get home to my reupholstering and renovating projects.

Reupholstering Project

Sometimes we hold on to things because of the memories attached.  We make it fit appropriately in our current lives, our updated styles, our desire to have everything in it's designated spot.  When Mom passed in May, I latched on to an ugly chartreuse armchair which had been patched but still showed worn areas on the arms.  It was not one of those big over-stuffed jobs, just a tidy little rocking swivel chair that always sat beside the fireplace at Mom's.  But where would it fit in our westcoast contemporary (that's what we have decided to call our design choice) home that is being gradually remodelled to fit my image of home?  I say my image because it was, at the time of purchase, nearly perfect for my husband, Poul.  Every change has been a push and one by one, our rooms have been updated.  We have, until now, done all of the work ourselves.  Now, Poul has admitted that he is the bottleneck due to his perfectionist working style.  We are contracting with a construction company to do the changes required to bring our bathrooms into this century.  And that's where the chair comes in.
The chair is in the process of being dismantled as I take photos and notes to allow me to reverse the process with a lovely fabric to coordinate with my bathroom.  It's actually the ensuite bathroom, but with only two of us living in the house, we have designated the hall bathroom to Poul and I get the one with the skylights off the master bedroom.  It's such a luxury, having one's own bathroom.  And now that my grandkids and my daughter have moved out on their own,  I have a workroom for my project and a spare bedroom to allow us to escape the mess of demolition.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and the vision of the finished chair clearly planted in my mind.  I have never undertaken such a complicated upholstering project before.  I suppose you could say that they don't make chairs like this anymore.  The sticker on the bottom of the chair reads that Mom bought it in 1977.  More to follow on this as I progress.

The Past Revisited

It was like a veil lifting, a veil which had dropped following the divorce 16 years ago.  Following the funeral of my ex-husband yesterday, hundreds of people came up to me to say hello and give condolences--the usual stuff.  For most of the people, whom I have not seen for nearly 20 years, it was the same.  I was aware that I knew them and when they said their name, floods of memories would pour back and I would recognize them and our former relationship.  The people who were children were now grown with families of their own.  Some of my generation and that of my ex-husband who was 75 at passing, had felt the gentle hand of the years.  For others the time was not so kind.  One woman said that it was brave for me to attend but I felt like I belonged there.  My husband of 28 years, the father of my three grown children had died and all of the people who had been friends and family over the years were there, and I knew all but a handful of them.
The whole experience was a bit overwhelming though as was indicated by my response to a tall gentleman who approached just as I was leaving the chapel.  I knew I should know him and I asked if he would forgive me and tell me his name.  He said, Denny Morris.  Oh my God.  I went to school with Denny and we had even dated for a while the summer after graduation.  How could I not recognize him, even if it had been more than 25 years since I had seen him last!  I joked about how he is the only person who had called me Denny because my first name is Denelda.  He looked at me strangely and I moved on to accidentally form my own "greeting line" preceding the family line outside the chapel.
Later at the reception I made a point of chatting with Denny again, oblivious to comments about his wife having been a student at the high school where I taught, and that his uncle was Tom Skinner, someone my age,...many clues...but I was too spaced out to make the connection.
When my daughter and I were talking about the afternoon, later that evening, I mentioned how I didn't even recognize Denny and she said that it wasn't Denny.  It was his son, Dennis Morris who is only 40 years old and was there because he was a good friend of my son, Bill.  But more than that-- I had coached Dennis for several years in Basketball at junior high!
My head is much clearer today.  I have had so many memories and old friendships rekindled as a result of yesterday's event.  But I will always laugh at myself for thinking Dennis was his dad who unfortunately passed away when our boys were just out of  high school.

Struggles with Family

Athletes are not always in the gym, working out or planning events.  They are people with families and personal struggles, just like everyone else. 
On Saturday, I helped move my disabled sister into assisted living in Victoria, painted part of my deceased Mother's Condo in preparation of it's sale, and then attended a family dinner for my niece, Fawnia who is in town for a few days.  It is always fun to Google Fawnia who owns pole dancing studios in Las Vegas to see what her latest adventure is.
Today Poul and I are going once again to Victoria.  This time it's for the funeral of my ex-husband.  I'm looking forward to seeing family and friends that I haven't seen since Bob and I divorced 17 years ago.  It will be a sad event because he was a fine man respected by everyone who knew him.  He coached football, softball, lacrosse and played for the Victoria Steelers Football team in the Continental League, the Victoria Shamrocks in the A division of Lacrosse and Rugby for James Bay Athletic Association.  He will be missed by all of us.
This week we are also losing our daughter Cori and two granddaughters, Syren and Talis, who are moving into a Condo of their own.  They have been living with us for 6 months and we will miss their energy and hugs.  Luckily they will be only a half hour away.
So life goes on and sometimes we struggle, but it's all good.

Daily Exercise Routine

On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I go to the local community hall for aerobics from 8:30  to 9:30 AM.  Yesterday, the cardio was a little weak for me.  We spent too much focus on the steps and routine and whether we were starting on the right beat of the music and whether our arms and legs were moving in the correct pattern instead of just pushing it and getting the heart rate up.  This was followed by yoga stretches instead of weights so it wasn't my favorite day.  I went with a 40 minute walk with my husband when I got home, then mowed the lawn.  Exercise has got to be part of one's lifestyle if they are going to maintain a program.  If I miss more than a day, I find it difficult to get back on because it involves getting up before everyone else.  There is always a reason not to go if I look for it.  Even though conditions are perfect here when I'm not responsible for my granddaughters, I haven't ridden my bike this summer at all.  With important tournaments in September and October, it's important that my lifestyle contains a strong exercise component.

Death in the Family

I stopped by the hospital to visit my ex-husband, Bob Coutts, shown here with our first child Billy who is now 40 years old. I spent about 1/2 hour alone with him in the hospice. We had been married for 28 years, had three wonderful kids together and though it has been 15 years since we parted, I still cared for the good man who would always be the father of my kids. He passed away about 12 hours later. Today is a sad day.

More Louisiana Filming

The evening was NOT being filmed and some of us went out for a wonderful meal at Jubans. This is a popular, expensive restaurant in Baton Rouge. My steak, with Bernaise sauce, followed by creme brulee were superb. Kitty and I treated our hosts-- the least we could do for the hospitality we experience whenever we visit.

SUNDAY found our team headed for Livingston, a small town south of BR. The captain, Mavis, who just turned 74, put on a three course lunch which the filming crew decided was the best home cooked meal they had yet experienced. We were filmed eating and joking, both of which we do constantly.

When we finished the meal, we were supposed to leave Mavis's son's rebuilt plantation home and have a tea party outside Mavis's house. Because it was about 105 degrees outside, we pretended we were having a tea party in the living room. We were supposed to dress elegantly for this so we all had our finest dress and heels.

But today is MONDAY and I am comfortable in white capris and a tan v-neck t-shirt with my strappy sandals. I'm flying from BR to Dallas to Seattle to Victoria and then will drive home in the nice cool of the Island evening. It will have been eleven hours of travel and home will be a welcome sight. But the adventure and memories shared with my special friends make it all worthwhile.

Celadrin Tigerettes Filming

FRIDAY was a travel day for me. I am the out-of-state player for the 60+ US National Champion Women's Basketball team which centers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I always spend an entire day to meet with my team, the Celadrin Tigerettes. Loretta picked me up at the airport and hosted Kitty and me for the weekend. She has a beautiful home where Kitty and I shared a king-sized room and bathroom as we always do when we stay in BR.

SATURDAY we wore our uniforms to a practice session at the local YMCA at 8 AM (6 AM for me!). The filming crew choreographed our practice to fill the gaps they had in their prvious footage. Thank goodness for airconditioning because, even at 8 in the morning, it was almost 100 degrees Farenheit. We went to the hairdresser in our uniforms after practice to simulate that we had just returned from winning the title. DJ had been filmed before the games and, while he did our hair, he talked about the competition. My hair ended up looking like Donna Reed with little flips at the bottom of flat sides.??? Anyway, it was a lot of fun. Keith, Chris and Jason, the filming crew, showed us the edited footage for the film as they have done it to date. They still have another 30 minutes to edit out with a finished feature presentation becoming 90 minutes. They have had 100 hours of film before this round and still don't have the sound and music overlaid.

Louisiana Filming Documentary

This part of the adventure began last summer when our basketball team was chosen to be featured in a PBS documentary being created to cover the 2009 National Senior Games being hosted by Stanford University in California.  There was a filming team which shot a lot of footage in Louisiana preceeding the competitions.  Our basketball sponsor, CELADRIN, flew me down for the weekend for filming.  Then, during the Games, they filmed every minute of every game.  It was a really tough and exciting competition with us coming from behind to win in the last minutes of the last game.  But now, with the final feature presentation coming out in the spring of 2011, the crew is wanting more footage.  What could they possibly want to get on film?  Anyway, I leave in the morning for another all expense paid trip to Louisiana.  I'm leaving amazing 75 degree weather with a breeze off the ocean and flying for ten hours to stay in 100+ degree temperature.   But my teammates are amazing, hilarious women and I know it will be another weekend to remember.  I thought I would share it with you.

Today I will start my trip with drive to Victoria which is 2 hours.  I'm helping my younger sister get settled in Assisted Living.  I will stay at my Mother's vacant condo.  She passed away earlier this year and we are about to list it.  They say that "due to heightened security it is recommended you check in 3 hours prior to departure", but if I got to the Victoria Airport at 6:05 AM, the only one there would be the night watchman.  Traveling as often as I do with my sports teams, I know that I can check in 40 minutes before departure and have no worries.  I take all my stuff in a carry-on...even if I go for ten days.