Confession

Okay, fine.  I can't stand it anymore.   I need to confess.   Are you ready for this??   My last two posts have been re-posts from last year.  There.  I said it.  I feel like I've been cheating by not posting original stuff, but I've been preoccupied and haven't had time to write my usual brilliant, funny posts - - just kidding.   Not about the preoccupied thing, but about the brilliant funny thing. 

I feel much better having come clean.   Hopefully I will get back in the groove and have something original tomorrow!  

Do I Point My Toes Up or Down??

I woke up very suddenly this morning, jolted out of bed, silently screaming and openly crying . . . CRAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     My son used to play football and his calves used to cramp up on him at least once a game.   He'd be running down the field with the football . . . 50, 40, 30 yards to go . . . the crowd would be yelling and jumping up and down . . . and then . . . BAM!  He'd be lying prone, grasping the field with his fists and ripping out clumps of grass.  The opposing players would be quietly cheering . . . our players would be thinking "Oh man, not again!"  The trainer would run out onto the field, grab his leg, lift it up and stretch it out.   This would go on for a few minutes, and then they'd help him off the field where he stretched on the sidelines for a few more plays.  And then back in.  Every. Single. Game.

Oh how I wished I had had a trainer this morning!   Or drugs.  It was EXCRUTIATING!   I forgot - - - do I point my toes down or do I point my toes up??   I guess it didn't really matter because I was in so much pain that I couldn't point either way.   It was a few minutes before the pain subsided and I was able to wipe the tears away and apologize to my husband for my swear words (just kidding).   But it hurt that much!   So, I googled to find out the causes of leg cramps.  If you are dehydrated, you can cramp up.  If you are not getting enough rest, you can cramp.  Over exercising can cause cramps.  (Um, yeah, think I can cross that one off my list.)  Vitamin deficiencies, low blood salt.   If you are pregnant, you cramp more easily.   Okay, okay.  So, basically ANYTHING can cause a leg cramp.    So, what can you do to prevent leg cramps?   Well, drink water, get enough rest, don't over exercise,  . . . you get the picture. 

I guess the lesson I will take from this experience is this . . . there are some things that you just have to go through.  No matter how much you do to prevent things happening . . . sometimes they just happen.  And sometimes it hurts.  A lot.  You can cry and moan about it (a little crying and moaning is okay, just not for the rest of your life), or you can work your way through it, learn from it, and move on.  I don't look very attractive when I cry, so I think I'll choose to learn and move on :)    

P.S.  Try bananas and Gatorade.

posted August 2011

Big.Huge.Mirror.

My worst nightmare - - sitting in front of a HUGE mirror with my eyes taped open and no way to escape.  Just the thought of it makes me want to scream.    But it happened (well, not the eye taping thing).  This morning.  I really had no choice.  Well, actually I guess I did.  I could choose to continue looking like an escapee from the 70s . . . OR . . . I could sit in front of a Big. Huge. Mirror. and get my hair cut.  Before I made that choice, I looked in a mirror.  I looked with only one eye open (and it was squinting) and I was trying to aim for the neck up.  It just took one quick glance in that evil mirror and I knew I had to do it.  So, I took a big girl pill.   And I sat in front of that Big. Huge. Mirror.   I sat there for an hour.   I averted my eyes.  I closed my eyes.  I wished my eyes had been taped SHUT.   I tried to find my happy place.   And then . . . it was finally over.  I glanced in the mirror trying only to look at the hair.   It looked awesome.  I loved it.  I guess the moral of this story is that sometimes we have to do hard things that we don't want to do.  And sometimes hard things turn out good.   So, was it worth sitting in front of the Big. Huge. Mirror??   Yes!   Will I do it again?  Yes!!   Do I still hate it?  Yes!!  Because - - Mirrors.Are.Evil.

posted July 2011

Open Letter to the Weekend

My Precious Weekend,

Finally.  You're here.  I thought you'd never come.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful.  But waiting for your arrival these past five days has been excruciating.   Once I thought I heard you approaching.  But, alas, it was only Wednesday.   And, I must confess, because you took so long to get here I had to take a half day off yesterday, just to make it through.   I feel like I cheated on you.   I hope you'll forgive me.  I know you're faithful - - you come every single week, no matter what.   Kind of like the post office used to be . . . rain, sleet, snow and hail.  But to be honest, Weekend, sometimes I feel you're not meeting my ever-increasing needs.  I know it's not your fault.  But I need to see you more often than once a week, and I know that's not possible . . . you are giving all you have to give.   Sigh. 

But, you're here, and for now that's all that matters.  I will enjoy the time we have together.  And then when you're gone . . . again . . . I'll be thinking about our next tryst.

Longingly,
Judy

What Do Words Really Mean, Anyway?

Word association.   Carl Jung used this method of testing early in his career.   The test usually consisted of a hundred stimulus words that were read out one by one to a subject who was to "answer as quickly as possible with the first word that occurs to you." The reaction time, verbal response, and test behavior were recorded and analyzed.  Jung noted that subjects' "unusual" responses were connected with something that had emotionally affected the subject during some time in their life.   Subjects do not have conscious control over their responses, Jung said.  Therefore, according to Jung, the word association test tapped conscious and unsconscious phenomena.    So, . . . .

I decided to give myself a word association test.   I debated on the first word to begin with.  I didn't want to set myself up to get an "A", so to be fair I decided to point to a word on the computer and begin with that.   Here goes . . .

punk - piercings
piercings - sword
sword - King Arthur
King Arthur - aardvaark
aardvaark - spelling
spelling - bee
bee - or not to be 
or not to be - paranormal
paranormal - Izzy

I could go on and on, but I think it would be embarrassing.    If my responses indicate some sort of emotional upheaval in my life, holy cow!   Maybe subconsciously I have always wanted to pierce my tongue??   Or maybe I was attacked by an aardvaark in my early years.   Or maybe a little paranormal bee buzzed in my ear the wrong spelling for a word during my 5th grade spelling bee??!   No wonder I'm a mess!!!

Word association tests were used to diagnose "crazy" people.   Okay, maybe that's the wrong word to use.   These tests were used in psychological examinations.   Different words, same thing.   I don't know what my responses mean.  Maybe nothing.  Maybe that I'm weird.  But if I had been given this test years ago and had the same words and responses, I might have been locked away, or pitied, or had my brain studied.

Jung gradually abandoned this method of testing.   Smart guy.

Brownies, Anyone?

Last night my husband and I were invited to a Blue and Gold Banquet.   For those of you who were never Boy Scouts, let me explain.    Every year the local troops have a birthday party for the Boy Scouts, the Blue and Gold Banquet.   They get together and have the presentment of the flag and some type of program.   Normally food is involved - yea!   Last night it was spaghetti, salad and garlic bread, made by proud and loving mothers of scouts.   And, of course, cake.   Cakes galore.   All the boys are responsible for bringing a cake representing the Boy Scouts.  A lot of the boys help their mothers design and make the cakes themselves.  And some of them are pretty awesome!   It was a fun night, full of frequent distractions from younger siblings and their antics as they played on the other side of the gym.  Put 50 children together and you're bound to get some craziness!

It's been a while since we've attended the Blue and Gold with our own Boy Scouts, and being there last night brought back some fun memories.  I know that for some the Boy Scouts may not bring warm and fuzzy thoughts.   It may even bring some negative thoughts.   But the Boy Scouts taught my boys some really great lessons and life skills.  They had a terrific amount of fun.  The Scouts helped them learn how to be boys/men of integrity and character and honor.   And how to follow through.  And the leaders were great men showing great examples.  And I am proud to say that I am the mother of two Eagle Scouts.

Being there last night, however, also made me think back to my own Brownie days.   I never made it past the Brownies.   You see, I used to be afraid of dogs (still am, depending on the dog).  The house where we Brownies had our meetings was the home to a dog . . . I'm sure it must have been a gigantic, snarly, growling, teeth-baring, drooling, Brownie-eating dog.  I lasted two meetings.  Which is a shame, cuz the uniform was really cute.

Fix Your Stupid Bottles

As I sit here I am trying to squeeze the hand lotion from my pump bottle.   My hands are really dry, and I need that lotion.   But I'm down to about the last one-third and it won't pump out anymore!   It's so frustrating.   It's expensive stuff (for me, anyway) and since I PAY for the entire bottle, I should be able to USE the entire bottle, not just the first two-thirds.   So, I have taken the top off and am now shaking/pounding it trying to get the lotion to come down so I can reach inside with my fingers and try to harvest some of the remaining lotion.   This is difficult, though, because the lotion is  thick and won't drip down the sides of the inside of the bottle very easily.  I have red marks on my hands the shape of the bottle opening.  Maybe if I keep pounding the bottle against my hands they'll start bleeding and provide the moisture I need to keep my dry hands from ripping apart everything they touch.   

The directions say "apply liberally as often as needed."   Well, okay, I would but I can't get it out of the bottle!   What kind of directions are on the bottle about that??!   Huh?!   ARE YOU LISTENING, HAND LOTION MAKING PEOPLE????    FIX YOUR STUPID BOTTLES!!

Huh?

Why can't I find the motivation to write today?  I guess today must be No Thoughts Tuesday.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

I dragged my husband to the movies this weekend.   He's an action movie kind of guy.   Rambo, Die Hard, James Bond . . . yeah, that kind.   I actually enjoy those types of movies, too, but I'm a girl, and I also like movies that make me feel something other than the urge to hit someone.   So, I asked my husband to take me to see "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" - - and I didn't really have to drag him like I said above - he came willingly, even though he knew that it wasn't his kind of movie.  (And that's one of the reasons why I love him.)   (And, I only had to wake him up once.)

Living on the west coast - - I saw the events of September 11, 2001 unfold on the television, like most of the rest of the country.  I felt horror and shock and extreme sadness as I watched my TV.    Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close gave me another perspective - that of an emotional young boy who lost his father and is trying to make sense of things.   Extremely Loud isn't about the day . . . it's about Oskar, the boy, and Oskar's journey to feel close to his father.  Oskar is an incredible character - as he put it, they "tested me for Aspergers but it was inconclusive."  There is so much going on inside Oskar.  So many complex feelings and emotions.  The actor who plays Oskar is amazing, by the way.

Oskar finds a key in his father's closet and, thinking it will bring him closer to his father, devises an intricate plan to find the lock that the key belongs to.   He travels all over the five boroughs and meets an eclectic variety of people in his search.    The whole time that he was walking all over New York - on his own - I wondered how his mother (Sandra Bullock) could allow him to do that . . . walk miles and miles alone (mostly alone, that is - - the Renter joined him for part of his journey).  To my surprise, though, most of the people he encountered were so incredibly kind to him.  And I found out towards the end of the movie how his mother could allow him to go on his search alone.       

I'm not good enough with words to be able to convey how this movie made me feel.  Suffice it to say that I loved it.   I will see it again.  It did what I wanted it to do - - it made me feel.  And it made me cry.   AND, I loved the ending.  (Three things I love about seeing a movie!)  

I highly highly highly recommend this movie!

P.S.  I thought of Daryl throughout this movie - - I know I saw some of her photo subjects!!

Again?! Seriously?!

It happened again!   While my husband and I were at work yesterday, my son and his wife dropped by only to find our dog, Izzy, sitting on the dining room table, waiting for someone to get her down!   I purposefully pushed all the chairs in so that she couldn't climb on one and then jump onto the table.  She is a small dog, so jumping vertically from the floor onto the dining table would be quite a superdog feat!     I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation . . . or is there?  I don't know.   Why would she get on the table by herself?   It's slippery and not easy to walk on.   There is nothing on the table to tempt her to risk it.   She would literally have to launch herself off the couch 20 feet away and then cross her little paws that she could make a safe landing on the table - - without sliding across the slippery surface, landing face down on the tile floor.   Does that make sense?

I know that dogs are highly sensitive and can see and feel things that humans can't.  They have even been used in paranormal investigations.   Check out this site:  http://fortheloveofthedogblog.com/news-updates/paranormal-investigation-goes-to-the-dogs.   If I ever go on a ghost hunting trip, which is one of my wanna do's, I will bring Izzy with me.   But, that still doesn't explain how she got up on the table.   

Again. 

Answers

Alright, here are the answers to my trivia questions yesterday (although maybe you already googled!).

1.  What we've got here is a failure to communicate - Cool Hand Luke (1967)
2.  They call me Mister Tibbs - In the Heat of the Night (1967)
3.  You can't handle the truth! - A Few Good Men (1992)
4.  I'll have what she's having - When Harry Met Sally (1989)
5.  You're gonna need a bigger boat - Jaws (1975)
6.  Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth - Pride of the Yankees (1942)
7.  If you build it, they will come - Field of Dreams (1989)
8.  I see dead people - Sixth Sense (1999)
9.  One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas- Animal Crackers (1930)
10. A boy's best friend is his mother - Psycho (1960)
11. Listen to them.  Children of the night.  What music they make - Dracula (1931)
12. My precious - Lord of the Rings (2002)
13. I feel the need - the need for speed! - Top Gun (1986)
14. Nobody puts Baby in a corner - Dirty Dancing (1987)
15. Fasten your seatbelts.  It's going to be a bumpy night - All About Eve (1950)

Okay, who wins the prize??!

We'll Always Have Paris

(This was written yesterday afternoon - - )

I love trivia.   And I like movies.     And these last 20 minutes of work are killing me, so I decided to get on the internet (in my defense, I did come in an hour early and worked through my lunch, so I'm not really being a bad employee :)).   Anyway, I was looking up some quotes from movies.  I was surprised at how many I didn't know.  Some went all the way back to the 30s.   Classics.  Some were really really easy.    So, since I'm at a loss as to what to write about today, I am going to give you a movie quote quiz.   

Do you know what movies these quotes come from?  Do not cheat!

1.   What we've got here is failure to communicate.
2.   They call me Mr. Tibbs.
3.   You can't handle the truth!
4.   I'll have what she's having.
5.   You're gonna need a bigger boat.
6.   Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
7.   If you build it, he will come.
8.   I see dead people.
9.   One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas.
10.  A  boy's best friend is his mother.
11.  Listen to them.  Children of the night.  What music they make.
12.  My precious.
13.  I feel the need - the need for speed.
14.  Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
15.  Fasten your seatbelts.  It's going to be a bumpy night.

Let me know how well you do!

P.S.  Sorry for the lame-o post.  It's been one of those days.

Paranormal? You Be The Judge

Weirdness. My husband and I ride home from work together everyday. When we pull into the driveway our dog Izzy always greets us at the back gate, barking her excited welcome home. Then she runs in the house through her doggy door and meets us at the front door where she jumps and twirls and barks and jumps and twirls some more. I truly believe that when we leave in the morning she thinks we won't come back. So when we DO come back she is thrilled and so relieved! This happens every single day. Except today. Today we pulled into the driveway and Izzy wasn't there. I was surprised but not worried. I could hear a faint bark but when we opened the front door - no Izzy. It was dark except for the light we leave on by the front door. I stepped in and could hear something. I followed the sound and found Izzy standing on our dining room table! She was afraid and shaking and so so happy to see us! I don't know how she got up there. She's little and I think she was afraid to jump down. I don't know how long she was standing on the table before we got home. For hours now she's been looking over towards the dining room and barking - as if she sees a stranger - unseen by me and my husband. Maybe I watch too much Paranormal State and Ghost Adventures, but it's really making me wonder. How DID she get on that table? And WHO is she really barking at?

Vacations

I need a vacation.   I am envious of my husband, who works in the public school system.   One week for spring break, two weeks for winter break, almost an entire week at Thanksgiving, the whole summer off, and a bunch of days in between.   So not fair.   Although I guess if I had wanted that much time off I could have been a teacher.   But I didn't.  Which was my choice.  My husband's job is stressful.  It is.   So, I try not to lay a guilt trip on him for all the time he gets off.  But I still need a vacation.  A real vacation.   We have a few little trips planned . . . but they're little ones, and they're not really "vacations."   They have a purpose.   And, in my opinion, time off for a purpose is not really a vacation.   We're taking a few days off next month to visit my mom and dad (normally this would be a vacation, but my dad is not well, so that is the "purpose").    And then I'm going to tag along with my husband for a couple of days in March.  He has a conference in Seattle.   And even though he's the one who'll be busy with the conference and I'll have a couple of days to myself - - it is a purpose, hence, not a vacation.   And then a few months after that we'll take a couple of days to pick our daughter up from college.  Purpose.  

Am I wrong to want a vacation just to . . . vacation??   I don't need a "dream" vacation.  I don't need to see the Eiffel Tower or lounge on the beautiful Hawaiian beaches . . . or do anything that takes us far away or costs a lot of money.  I just want to get away for a week, just me and my husband, and think of nothing else but enjoying ourselves!   I don't know.   Maybe I'm being selfish.   Maybe I should just be happy we have jobs and that we are able to pay our bills.   And I am happy about that.

But I still need a vacation.        

Bottles or Tap?

I love water.  To drink it.  Not to swim in it.   I'm not a good swimmer, and I get nervous if I can't touch the bottom of a pool.   And I don't like to go underwater either.   I get panicky.  Blub.  Blub.   And let's not even talk about the bathing suit thing.  No thanks.

But, I love to DRINK water.   In a bottle.   My husband says that buying bottled water is stupid - - why pay money for water when you can drink it for free?   I understand his thinking.   However, it's not necessarily the water - - it's the bottles.  There are some really cool shaped water bottles out there.   This is one of my favorites - -

It's a Norwegian sparkling water.  And it's glass.  I like that a lot.   A friend of mine who owns a wine shop gave me a bottle of it.  (I wouldn't have bought it cuz it was too expensive.)  But  I blathered about how cool the bottle was for so long that I think this was her way of telling me to shut up.

Another one of my favorites is this - -

I think I like this one because it's more square shaped instead of round.  It's kind of expensive, so I only buy it when it's on sale.  But, it's pretty, isn't it?

I know.   It's probably irresponsible and environmentally insensitive of me to buy bottled water just for the aethetics value. 

The moral of this story?  There isn't one.  It's really pathetic to write a whole blog post on bottled water.   So, I'll end now.  

Power

Happy Sabbath Day!

Shoo Fly Pie

I think my mind has been way too focused on my road trip of years ago.   I am starting to remember some of the food that we had along the way.  Who remembers food you ate 30+ years ago??  Apparently, I do.   And wouldn't it figure --- I buy a scale (which, by the way, I stepped on the other day and it didn't laugh at me - - well, not too long and not too wickedly anyway) and then I start thinking about food!   Well, I didn't JUST start thinking about food . . . unfortunately I think about it more than I should.   But seriously - - 30 years ago??

I remember eating in Amish country in Lancaster County, PA at the Good n Plenty family style restaurant.  We were seated at a long table with a checkered table cloth and a bunch of people we didn't know.  It was fun.   I don't remember what the meal was, but I do remember the dessert - shoo fly pie!   The first and only time I ever had shoo fly pie!   I think I liked it :)

And this one was easy to remember - - actually, I don't think I ever forgot.   Beignets at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans.   I had never heard of beignets before that time.  They were delicious!   Powdered sugar sifted on that light croissanty-like piece of heaven.  Oh yeah!

I think it's rather telling that I can only remember desserts, and not "real" food.   You'd think I had a sweet tooth or something. 

It's A Small World After All

When my daughter read my blog post yesterday, she said "You didn't hyperventilate."  I said, "I'm a writer.  But Sasquatch is real."   End of discussion.

She also thought it would be fun (at least for me) to write more about my youthful road trip.  I hadn't really thought of the trip in any detail for many, many years.  Every once in a while I would think of how cool it was that I (so timid and shy) had the guts to take a 3 1/2 month road trip.   But I never thought much more than that.   It happened over 30 years ago, and my memory has faded a bit.   The hundreds of pictures that I took on the trip have long been MIA (which, maybe isn't such a bad thing - - I had that 70s kind of thing going on which, looking back, was not my best look - was not ANYBODY's best look).   So, the only things I have left are my faded memories and a scrapbook with brochures of some of the places we visited.   

We started off in SoCal and went along the southern states, traveling east, taking a detour every once in a while just because we could :)   We traveled the perimeter of the entire state of Florida, and then traveled up the east coast, into New England, and then west along the northern states to Washington and then south back home.  

In no particular order, these are some of the places we visited: 6 Flags in Arlington, Texas; San Antonio, Springfield, IL; Colonial Williamsburg; Gettysburg; Yorktown; Jamestown; Plymouth, MA; Walt Disney World; Kennedy Space Center; the US Capitol; Smithsonians; and every monument/memorial/touristy place possible in D.C.; Amish country in Lancaster County, PA; Great Smokey Mountains in Tennessee; Asheville, N.C.; New Orleans; Carlsbad Caverns; Black Hills of South Dakota; Mount Rushmore; Niagra Falls (Canadian side); NYC - Times Square, World Trade Center and a Broadway play (well - off Broadway play); Yellowstone.    And a ton of other amazing places.

We got into an accident in New Orleans (not our fault), but had to stay there two weeks while the car was repaired.   One of the wonderful things about being Mormon is that no matter where you go, you always have "family" - - people you can count on to help you out, if you need it.   So, we contacted some people who let us stay with them in their home for those two weeks.   They were awesome.   And that was probably the best part of our trip - - meeting great people all over the country.   People of all religions (or no religion), races, countries, ages - - you name it.    This country is full of amazing people.

Yesterday I mentioned that this trip confirmed to me what a small world we live in.  Case in point.  We were staying in a campground in North Bergen, New Jersey and taking the bus into the city to sightsee.   One night it rained, and rained, and rained.   That night our tent leaked.  Bad news.   Everything was floating in about an inch of water.   We had to find a laundromat with HUGE dryers!   We weren't sure if we would be able to stay in the tent that night, but weren't really worried about it.  We found a laundromat and while we were chilling by the dryer, we started talking to the girl next to us.    She had just moved to New Jersey.   Where did you move from, we asked.   Anaheim, California, she said.   What???!!  That's where we live!!   Seriously??!  That is so funny!   Where in Anaheim did you live?, we asked.   And she told us - - the same apartment complex that my sister lived in!   How weird is that??!    I told her my sister's name - - they were next door neighbors - - AND - - best friends!!!!    So, guess where we stayed the next two nights?!!    It is indeed a small world after all. 

I think I am inspired now to try to recall more of those trip memories and stories and write them down.   If my daughter is interested in knowing more, then maybe it would be something fun for the future grandkids to read and know that at least once in her lifetime their grandmother did something amazing!  Grandma rocked!!!

Okay, enough of the self-indulgent stuff.    Thanks for coming down memory lane with me :)

Concerts, Sasquatch and Road Trips

Our 19 year old daughter announced that she wanted to go to a concert - - in a city four hours away.  "What??  You want to risk your life by driving over that dangerous mountain pass just to see a stupid band??!!  Are you crazy?!  Those mountains are HUGE - - they're the CASCADES for crying out loud!!  If you don't drive off a cliff or into a mountain, or if a deer doesn't run into your car, then Sasquatch will get you!"

Pause.  Reach for brown paper bag.  Breathe.

Of course, I know my daughter is very responsible.  She's a good driver.  She doesn't text while driving (I hope).   The mountain pass isn't really dangerous.  The highway is wide, so the cliff thing is not likely.   The deer?   Maybe but probably not.   AND, everyone knows that Sasquatch only comes out at night.  I was just being . . . well, a mother.  But, as I was hyperventilating I was also reminded of another mother, many years ago, whose daughter announced that she and a girlfriend were going to take a road trip across the United States.  I'm sure that mother was freaking out inside, but she didn't go postal or even yell.  She was very calm.  She knew her daughter was old enough and smart enough to handle that adventure.  She was smart enough to know her daughter needed that adventure.  So she gave her her blessing and then silently prayed for her safety every single moment she was away.  She prayed for me - - her adventurist daughter.

My friend and I saved for that trip for months.  Then we courageously (foolishly?) quit our jobs, packed up her Toyota Corolla and headed out early one August morning, going east (which was good since the Pacific Ocean was only minutes to our west).  And we didn't roll back into town until November.  Trip of a lifetime.   We had a blast.  We learned a lot.   Saw a lot of history, met a lot of people, had unforgettable experiences, found out what a small world this really is, got into an accident in New Orleans . . . and so much more.  But I'll save  that for another day.

I guess the moral of my story is this - - sometimes you just need an adventure.   And sometimes, as parents, it's wise to pause to remember what it was like - - to be young and need an adventure.  And then, grab that brown paper bag and breathe.

Something to Laugh About

I totally stole this picture off my friend's facebook page.  I love it so much.  It speaks volumes. 
                                         
We really need to laugh.   We need to laugh til our skirts fly up.   We need to laugh because our skirts fly up.   We need to belly laugh once in a while.  The kind of laugh where strange, wonderful noises come out of all of our orifices - - - and make us laugh even harder.  I actually had a really good laugh last night after reading something my husband posted on facebook.   He made me laugh so hard that I cried.   It felt awesome!   They (you know - - the mysterious "they") say that laughter is the best medicine.   It reduces stress.  That's a scientific fact.   And I think it must be the best anti-aging drug ever not to hit the shelves.   And best of all it's free!    Why would you pay $20-$100 a jar (do people really do that??) for "magical" cream that doesn't do nearly what laughing can do for you?   Laughing really is magic!    It even makes you feel younger.   Laugh lines?    Wear them like a badge of honor!

Laughing makes you beautiful!

I hope that made you laugh, or at least smile :)   Now go out and laugh some more!

                 Laugh

The Last Laugh

Okay, so I gained a pound or two in 2011.   So what?!  Lots of people did.   Does that make me a bad person?   No!   So what if my clothes don't fit me as well as they did at the beginning of 2011?!   So what if I huff and puff while walking up the stairs and once at the top I need to take a 5 minute break to catch my breath?!   So what if sometimes I don't want to go out with my husband because I don't like the way I look?!  And so what if I have a heart attack and die an early death?    I know, a little dramatic.  But it could happen, right?   At least that's what I tell myself to try and get motivated.   So, I bought a scale a couple of weeks ago.   I hate scales as much as I hate mirrors.    They are evil.   Designed solely to make us feel bad about ourselves.   And so I am kind of reluctant to step on it.  It makes me nervous.   I know I won't like what I see.   And it will probably laugh at me, in that evil, wicked witch kind of way. 

BUT, I must remember that my two words for 2012 are "better" and "brave."    (A friend called me a cheater for having two words instead of one.  But, believe me, I NEED two words.)   And to make those two words have meaning and not just be a cutesy little blog post, I need to put them into action.  I need to be a doer of words and not just a typer of words.  I need to take those two words seriously.   Because to me, they are not just words.   They are symbols.  Of change.   I need to be a better and a braver person in 2012.      

So, I will be a grown up.   I will be brave and step on the scale.  And if it laughs at me, so be it.  It's just a stupid wicked witch laughing scale.  But I will be brave.   I will take the first step to becoming better.    And then, you stupid evil no good scale, we shall see who has the last laugh.

Brave New World

As I have read different blogs this past week I noticed that some writers are picking a single word to define their personal 2012.   A word that symbolizes who they want to be and what they want to accomplish in the coming year.  So, I thought, why not, and I too picked a word.   Better.   I thought better suited me because I really do want to be better.  I want to be a better person.  A better writer.  A better wife.  A better mother.  A better humanitarian.  A better daughter.   A better . . . well, you get the picture.  I figured what a better word to pick (yes, pun intended) than the word better. 

But the thought just occurred to me that I have another "B" word that might describe my aspirations for the year 2012.    My whole life I have always been timid, afraid of what other people think.  That is no way to live.   So, I decided on a second word.    Brave.   I want to be brave this year.  I want to be brave enough to be me.   To not fear what people might think if I give (or write) my opinion.   To be brave enough to always stand up for what I believe in.  To be brave enough to be true to myself.  

So, now I have two words for 2012.    I want to be better.  And I want to be better at being brave!

No Word Weekend

iPhone. Fat fingers. No PC. No laptop. No iPad. No way.

Creepy Crawly

I have this thing about creepy crawly things - especially creepy crawly things in the thousands. I turned on the TV this morning to watch the news and happened upon a commercial for a show called "Infested." Thousands of creepy crawly bed bugs - and they weren't even in a bed - they were crawling up and down the walls and swimming across the floor. It was gross and I want to go "puke." And now my head itches cuz I swear they're in my hair. And my face itches, too. And we're going to Seattle next month and all I'll be thinking about when we check into our hotel is . . . Well, I'm sure you can guess. Stupid TV.

Feelin' The Love

I am feelin' the love today.  Yes indeed.  Every once in awhile, out of the blue, at the weirdest times, I get this overwhelming feeling of love for my husband.  It only lasts a few seconds, but my heart swells and I am nearly brought to tears.   It's like a reconfirmation that I chose the right guy 24 years ago.  I have never doubted that.  He's a wonderful guy.  

But this post isn't about my husband.   It's about people in general, a few specifically.  This morning I was sitting at my desk and out of the blue felt this warmth coming from inside  - -  and I knew right away what it was - PEOPLE ARE GOOD!!   Yea for good people!!!    Of course, there are mean people (or "naughty" people as a friend of mine says) in the world.  But, I don't want to talk about them - - - blech!   This is a love fest post, not a downer post.

If you look, and sometimes you don't have to look very hard, you will see good people all around you.   I see goodness in the posts that I read, and that is why I have such affection for all my blogging friends.   And if you doubt me, my blogging buddies, go back and read some of your own posts and you will see what awesome people you are.

I see goodness in my friends who are so willing to drop whatever they are doing to go to the rescue of friends in need.  Or strangers in need.   I see goodness in my friends' children, who, even at a young age, have the spirit of service and often make great sacrifices in order to serve.  There is great joy in serving others, and they have discovered that.

I see such goodness in my own children, and in my siblings.   And in my mother, who has found that she can do things she never thought she could!     

And I see goodness in strangers, whose faces radiate kindness.  

There is goodness all around, we just need to open our eyes.   Heck!  We need to BE those good people!  Good people rule!!

Yes, indeed.  I'm feelin' the love today.

Compare Not

Have you ever compared yourself to someone and thought, "man, why can't I do that" or "their life is so perfect."?   I used to.  All the time.   Until I realized that there IS no comparison.   

When I first started blogging I was so intimidated because everyone - and I mean everyone - seemed to have so much more to say, and they all said it so eloquently and it seemed with such ease.  I imagined that everybody else just sat at the keyboard and their fingers just flew, as ideas whirled around in their minds.  Me, on the other hand - I get up every morning, scratch my head, and realize I have nothing to write about.   So, I sometimes say a little prayer that something would come to my mind.   Don't get me wrong . . . my posts are not necessarily answers to my prayers!    But I think I have learned not to compare myself with other bloggers.   We are all so different and I think it shows in our posts.  And that's what makes reading your blogs so much fun for me!  We all have something different to offer, or at least offering the same thing in a different way.

For instance, if you want to want to travel the world, or at least to NYC or Belgium, check out the beautiful photos in Through My Eyes  and This is Belgium.  These blogs will take you away to another place  (unless, of course, you live in NYC or Belgium).  Or read Mark's Work.  He'll take you to another world, too, although you may not understand some of his words!  Which, by the way, is a good way to broaden your vocabulary!    Read what Jewels has to say at Frazzled and Frumpy.  She will crack you up!    We seem to live parallel lives.   So many more . . . just check out my "I Love These" over there on the right . . . and you will find a gold mine of wonderful people who share their lives through their blogs.  No two alike.   Promise.  

And that's the point, I guess.  We are all different.  We all have something to offer.   No comparisons allowed!

  

This Is Not A Commercial

Okay, so I got a Kindle.   I've wanted one for a couple of years, but just couldn't bring myself to buy one for myself.  I don't like to buy things for myself that cost more than $10.  And usually the things I buy that do cost under $10 are things that I need - like a new colander, or vacuum bags.   And I feel kind of guilty when other people buy me things that cost more than $10.   So, I told my husband, "I don't need a Kindle.  I don't want a Kindle.  If you buy me a Kindle, I will just read and you will never see me again."    My husband knows me so well.  He knows that I love to read, and he knew that I really did want a Kindle.   So, he ignored all my protestations and bought me one.  This is one time I'm glad he didn't listen to me.  It is wonderful to be able to hold a library in my hands.   Well, not exactly a library yet.   I have seven books on it (five of which I have already read), but soon enough it WILL be a library.  I hadn't picked up a book for a very long time . . . until now.   And now I don't have to actually pick up a book and turn the pages, I just pick up my Kindle and touch and the pages turn by themselves - - oooh, I'm so cool!   I know lots of people like the feel of a real book, with real pages.   I thought I would miss that.  But the words are the same and the feelings I get when I read those words are the same as if I were holding a real book made from a tree, instead of plastic and whatever else.   I'm just happy to be reading again.

However, I'm not sure how long it will take my husband to regret buying me this gift.   I had my face to the Kindle for about five hours the other day finishing a book.  When I was finished, I looked up and he said "You back with me now?"

Streak

I have been posting every day since the middle of November and I'm not ready to break my streak yet. So I'm going to make this short and sweet (since I'm typing on my iPhone and my fingers must be way fat cuz I keep making mistakes). I can't wait for spring. That's all.

Here's To Prosperous-ness

Nothing too original here . . . Happy New Year!   I really hope that we all be a part of a prosperous 2012.   Prosperous in health, in spirit, in giving and in love.    (The prosperous money part would be okay, too!).

(By the way - I count all my new blogging buddies as blessings of my 2011 - it's been fun getting to know you all!)

Happy Sabbath Day!