Salinas Has A Book Store!

Since the closing of Borders in Seaside as well as a few independent book stores, the closest book store we've had the last year or so was about a 45-minute drive to Gilroy. So you can understand why we're so excited to have discovered the Book Nook! It's an awesome used book store, very organized and the owner is wonderful. I haven't met the male half of the business yet, but the woman really knows her stuff. The best part? The prices are reasonable! She doesn't charge any more than Savers or Goodwill does, so she will be getting a lot of business from us and we will be donating to the store to help keep them going.

I love being able to support local businesses. Next time we go I'm bringing this magnetic rosette I made for them using their business card for the center. I am determined for them to be successful, so if you're in the area of 521 South Main Street here in Salinas, stop by and buy some books!

I'm Cozy!

On our way out of the concert I was wrapped in a super soft blanket (it gets mighty cold when the sun goes down). This young (very drunk) guy kind of fell into me and put his arm around me and said, “Oh, I’m sorry…hey, you’re cozy!”

About the same time I heard my brother-in-law behind me (defending my honor) “HEY! HEY! Watch it!”

And then the guy says, “I’m sorry, but she’s cozy! She’s so cozy!” and then stumbled away.

Made my night.

This is a wall of mostly Easton Press books at Cal's Books in Redding, California. Isn't it beautiful? I would very much like a wall just like this, pretty please.

It would also be cool to have a library so enormous as to have one of these in order to reach them all.

The shelves in this books store dwarf even the tallest of humans. But bundle up cause baby it's cold inside!

  

We can't wait to go back!

 Valerie, kidney donor, and Martha, October 14, 2011, 7:40 p.m.,
just a day after kidney transplant

Valerie Is Home!

I can't believe it, but after only 3 days, Valerie was released from UC San Francisco hospital and is back at home. She is sore but happy to have the transplant over with, as are we all.

Larry (Marty's hubby, a true unsung hero) and I don't know what we would have done had we not had Dawn (Valerie's identical twin) and Leslie (Martha & Larry's daughter) by our side. Their doting and patience did not go unnoticed. The four of us together made a pretty darned good tag-team, keeping one another grounded and held together emotionally.

My hubby couldn't do the trip because he is recovering from his 4th back surgery. It was a difficult time for him not to be able to be with us, and it was just as difficult not having him to lean on, but we muddled through. Having him home, though, gave us all peace of mind that our four dogs were being spoiled, the mail taken in and the house safe.

Martha is still at UCSF, but she is doing pretty well. She still has a way to go in getting herself back up to par to where she was a couple of years ago. She is so grateful to Valerie for her new kidney and keeps saying thank you to everyone she sees. It is wonderful to see Martha's color return and the light back in her eyes.

We'll be going back to San Francisco Thursday morning for Valerie's follow-up. The view from the 7th floor of the kidney unit is breathtaking, so we will concentrate on that positive to make the drive up there more pleasant to anticipate.

Giving thanks to the Lord for putting in our grasp some of the best transplant surgeons in the world and top-notch nurses and staff. Our God is an awesome God!

This is me (the gal w/glasses) standing next to my brother John who gave my sister a kidney many years ago, and my sister Martha who is awaiting another transplant. My daughter Valerie has completed testing to be a donor, and a tentative date has been set for late October at the University of California, San Francisco.

In the meantime, my daughter is having a procedure next week which requires a 3-month healing period by UCSF before they will set the transplant date in stone.

As both a sister and a mother of these fabulous women, my emotions are all over the place. If you are a believer, we sure would appreciate it if you would keep our families in your prayers.