tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86159943936888660312011-07-31T04:19:31.157-07:00Served with a side of narcissismIma Gydenoreply@blogger.comBlogger121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-31577026167143120822009-11-03T18:47:00.000-08:002009-11-03T18:49:13.771-08:00

       I came into this world with a big grin and a happy disposition - it just came naturally to me. And, discounting my teenage years that saw me in an age-appropriate rebellion against being giddy and excited about nearly anything at all, I have been a very positive person most of my life, finding the silver lining in all things otherwise dark and gloomy - and there have been a lot of those "

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-5012456447979803092009-09-21T17:03:00.000-07:002009-09-21T18:07:54.893-07:00

I realized today that I've spent a lot of time on this blog talking about myself, my children and the state of things in our life. Jay, the man whom I've spent more than seventeen years with - sixteen of those as his wife, has not been prevalent in these posts, but has made appearances here and there as more of a sideline character. He is anything but, in my real life. Our wedding day, July 31,

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-22597399387772564412009-09-11T11:04:00.000-07:002009-09-12T10:45:21.552-07:00

I was making sandwiches for the kids. Peanut butter and something. It was likely strawberry jam - the sweet jelly with fat, soggy berries that comes in the blue tub. But, it may have been honey, although it's less likely since that was a once-a-month-or-so treat. Or, it could have been a special peanut butter/banana day, one of the rare times when the on-the-side fruit goes in the sandwich. But,

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-73616140413316984802009-09-09T16:31:00.000-07:002009-09-10T01:06:26.526-07:00

Yesterday marked the first day of Ren's sophomore year in high school, and Ashton's, last year of middle school. For weeks - months even! - every nook and cranny of my home has been infested with stinky teenaged boys and high-pitched, hyperactive high school girls. My workplace had become Starbucks, mobile and temporary as I abandon my home office in search of a peaceful space to write. So I'm

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-56197824502713634742009-09-02T15:51:00.000-07:002009-09-02T18:30:23.303-07:00

When I was growing up, the family joke was that we ran on "Mormon time", always late. My mother, with her trademark red lipstick in place, seemed always to be rushing, dropping a kid off here, picking another up there and running errands for a family of ten.  Seems I have adopted this harried lifestyle, although daily I work to convince myself that there actually are enough hours in the day. But,

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-20938481387301427052009-08-17T18:14:00.001-07:002009-08-19T12:53:25.858-07:00

...and you rake. You shovel and you ache. Wouldn't you rather roll 'n grow? I sure would. For months now my yard has been in a perpetual state of disarray, unkempt and unloved, scorned daily as we skirt the lumpy, browning lawn and untamed hedges to get to or from our cars. I could blame this on the severe heat or busy schedules or any other half-assed excuse I feed myself but I'm trying very

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-8414175641657785862009-08-14T17:28:00.000-07:002009-08-15T17:32:40.320-07:00

Life, the Antagonist, has done the job well this year, pounding us with obstacles that have found my family in a collective depression, financially and otherwise. Today, though, it seems like we've crossed some invisible line that brings us a menial sense of balance; peace, maybe. I've lost the hopelessness that has percolated within me over the past difficult year, coming to a gregarious head

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-51034851757657152542009-08-10T11:28:00.001-07:002009-08-13T10:08:24.522-07:00

How quickly life can change. In one moment - a split second - a tragic event or a beautiful act has the power to shift your priorities and affect your life. My 13-year-old niece, Brittan, was in an ATV accident last weekend that found her life-flighted by helicopter to a hospital in Bend. B, as she prefers to be called, is very fortunate to be alive today and just as blessed for not losing the

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-60172390556386415432009-08-05T19:41:00.000-07:002009-08-06T18:01:29.429-07:00

Last week Comcast made good on their promise to shut off my service unless I paid my bill, leaving my home without cable, phone or internet. But, what could I do - I had to make a financial choice between food and communication, although my kids may have preferred the latter. Ironically, this turn of events seemed to help Jay & I out, making a choice on our behalf that we had been mulling over

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-10463136023246594822009-07-15T15:23:00.000-07:002009-07-15T18:20:50.883-07:00

.... Or at least that's what I'm telling myself. I find that if I focus too much on what is wrong, I end up seeing only that and missing all of the good things that are happening in my life. True, times are tough financially right now, I cannot deny that. I would be in sheer denial if I suggested that there is nothing to worry about in this area of my life. But, the flip side of that coin says

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-73724154022060405292009-07-06T15:27:00.001-07:002009-07-06T16:28:05.145-07:00

So, here it is: Monday, another opportunity for me to jump in, feet first, and figure out just how I can help get our family out of the financial mess that we're in. Living in Portland, Oregon - with the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, next to Detroit - hasn't helped me in my job search, that's for sure. I have applied for 79 jobs since the first of the year, with only four call

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8615994393688866031.post-83934846441914369502009-06-29T16:34:00.001-07:002009-07-06T16:47:20.157-07:00

... and as one of millions of Americans barely weathering the shoddy economy, I am today unashamed to admit it, although it's certainly nothing to gloat about. And, while I have no intention of making the negative state of things any more permanent than necessary by obsessing and reiterating the fact, I can't ignore it, either. Here's the thing: As my double self-employed household has struggled

Ima Gydenoreply@blogger.com1