Welcome to Issue #255 of My Monday Memo
by Rachel Brandes
Quote of the Week
“Your time is limited, and your energy is precious. Only let yourself spend time with friends who add to your life.”
– Ali Washington, Inspirational Speaker, Author & Coach
Today is Monday, April 14, 2025
National Gardening Day
Happily Ever After
https://www.everafterphotographypnw.com/
Ever After Photography PNW is owned and operated by photographer extraordinaire, Mira Nachtigall. Mira specializes in birth, maternity, and newborn photography.
Random Photo of the Week
Pretty bird. Rachel snapped this lovely creature as it was seemingly calling to its mate, or friend, or maybe just a gal pal. Who knows. Photo taken at Dune Peninsula in Tacoma, Washington.
Feline Tomfoolery
with Brady & Belichick
Dear Humans,
We love to sleep on our human’s lap so much, and now that she is getting good at taking our picture without waking us up. We have a pretty good thing going. Kudos to her. Thank goodness for us. However, she has the weakest bladder of any human we have ever known (small list). We appreciate her going to great lengths to hold it and not disturb us. She is also getting good at climbing out of the seated position and scooting us so that she can maneuver her way out and not wetting the couch. You should see her try to get back into the same position. Entertainment at its finest. We might have to video her doing this sometime. Enjoy our adorableness.
Much Love, Brady & Belichick
Brady & Belichick are Rachel’s adorable felines. Brady is a short hair and very dominant and athletic, much like his namesake (Forever Patriots). Belichick, aka Beli, the long hair, was the runt of their litter and is much more passive, until provoked. These two cute boys turned one on May 4, 2024.
Mental Health Minute
The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) has a vast amount of interesting and useful information. The below flyer states, “You are NOT ALONE,” meaning many others suffer from mental illnesses. On the flip side, those affected may feel just the opposite. Speaking from her own personal experience, when Rachel went through a trauma at age 16, she felt as though she couldn’t tell anyone and felt very alone. This information is a good reminder to ask for help or share with a loved one that might need help.
Another interesting section on the NAMI site is the State Facts Sheet. For those of you in the United States, take a look at your state, you be surprised by the numbers. To check that out, click this link. State Fact Sheets | NAMI.
Best Therapy Ever
Zach at 11 days old
Rachel got to visit Zach again (see Issue 254). That new baby smell sure is calming.
Sunday RunDay
with Tacoma Run Club
Rachel continues to enjoy the Sunday meet up with the Tacoma Run Club. These photos are from a recent Sunday in which Rachel joined Bill and Logan for a quick post-run dip in the Puget Sound for some cold-water therapy. Rachel has done full-body plunges and handled it better than this calf-high plunge (if you can even call it that). She may have peed just a little and then ran out of the water as fast as possible. Alanna took a couple of candid shots to capture Rachel’s moment of pain. She thanks Alanna, as these photos were a good laugh. Also, Alanna was the one warm on the beach watching the craziness. Smart gal.
Donate Blood, Save Lives- #13
Lucky 13… Rachel was excited to make her 13th whole blood donation last week. This month’s blood drive was a mobile drive held at the Central Co-op in Tacoma, Washington. The drive had 40 appointment slots for the day, and all had been pre-booked.
While the Co-op originally opened its doors in the Capital Hill neighborhood in Seattle, Washington in 1978, the Tacoma location opened in June of 2019. If you live in the area and have never visited, it’s a must. You can click the link to learn more about the Central Co-op. www.centralcoop.coop.
On to the donation with her host of the day, Erickson, not only did Rachel have a satisfactory iron level of 13.5, but her blood pressure was also lower than any other donation. This may be due to the early arrival and time spent relaxing in the sunshine prior to the donation. The donation was completed in 5 minutes and 20 seconds. Not a record for Rachel but still quick. According to www.redcrossblood.org, the average donation time is between 8-10 minutes. The donation staff attributes her fast donation to being well-hydrated.
Rachel enjoyed two yummy cookies after her donation with the Molasses-Ginger being her favorite. If these chewy delights are available at her next donation, she might just see if she can fit all of them into her pockets. She was excited to earn two new badges on the Bloodworks Northwest app with this donation and hopes to earn the other two PNW Orca ’25 badges this year. Her next donation is already scheduled. Have you donated blood lately? If that was a no, the best time to start is now. Until next time, be well.
If you live in the Tacoma or the surrounding area and are interested in donating, visit Donate – Bloodworks Northwest.