Goofy Gift Ideas....

I'm really not sure where to

begin! I keep coming across some horrible & silly

gift ideas for this Christmas. The boy with the bread? Do you know a guy that age who would be smiling if he opened up such a huge package & found..........BREAD?! I think he may be ready to use that rolling pin!

Next we have the unique & creative furniture designed to look like computer keys. I am already

disturbed that my dreams are full of Blogger & Facebook images, must my household seats be all about computers too?

And last (for today!) but not least, this one will amaze you & possibly scare you a little bit. This is being modeled for you here. It is a bra that is designed to become a gas-mask in case of terrorist threat. Seriously! You can save yourself & someone with you (lucky someone!).

Now you can thank me for making your shopping list a lot shorter. Watch for more in the next few weeks!

Sunday Stealing......

Part One - Describe:

Your hair? Short, thin & brown. Sounds lovely doesn't it?

Your mother? Has same rotten hair. Thanks Mom!

Your father? Is a quiet man who loves numbers. I hate numbers.

Your favorite food? Chocolate & cheese. Haven't tried them together though.

Your dream last night? It's gone the instant I open my eyes, darn it!

Your favorite drink? Coffee, hot, black & strong. Coca-cola too, but not hot.

Your dream/goal? Would truly love to have my words in magazines.

The room are you in? My living room, comfy, cozy on a Sunday night.

Your hobby? Writing, blogging, reading & riding hubby's motorcycle with him.

Your fear? My sons making stupid choices.

Your TV? We have one & it is used every night pretty much, by Hubs & son.

Your Pets? One cat who has lasted way longer than expected due to nothing on our part.

Friends? A wonderful group of over achievers who spur me on to greater things all the time!

Your life? Fun, surprising & never boring!

Your mood? Expectant.

If you're missing someone? Lately I am missing my 23 yr old son being 2 years old.

Your best friend? A crazy red-head who lives like I Love Lucy!

Part Two - The Where's?

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Still teaching 20-somethings but with more help.

Where were you last night? Home getting house ready for holiday coming up.

Where did you grow up? Petaluma, CA, USA

One place that I go to over and over? My office! I love it & all the people who wander in & out.

Your favorite place to eat out? Creekside bar & Grill.

Wish list items? hmmm...iphone would be fun. Dorms for our school, my own bathtub would be lovely!

Last time you laughed? Today at lunch with my best friends.

Last time you cried? This morning.

Part Three - The What's?

Something that you aren't? Young, skinny, mean.

Last thing you did? Made some decaf & checked out my blog friends.

What are you wearing? Jeans, t-shirt & sox.

Something you're not wearing? Shoes, hat, coat, spurs.

Your favorite store? Khol's

Will Cook For Good Cause

You may recall the last time I proudly posted this photo of my guys. It was last Easter and I was extremely pleased with myself for actually cooking a holiday meal for my small family.

In recent years we have joined friends for the yearly special meals that are required of Christmas, Easter & Thanksgiving. With our extended family out of state & my strong dislike for kitchen duty, it just made sense.

But last Easter for some reason I had the grace to give it a try & happily it was a success. At least, I have not been told otherwise so I am going with that assumption! And now, with Thanksgiving fast approaching I am going for it once again, this time with some wonderful incentive!

Writer Son, the smiling one on the left, has a serious girlfriend & she is coming from out of state to join us!! I am so excited to have another woman in the house with me! I mean truly excited, to the point of telling myself to calm down. I don't want to scare her off. So I guess I won't mention that I am already wondering if I am at last going to be a grandma before I'm 80!

Today while Hubs was out for a motorcycle ride I added another leaf to the dining room table,(!!!!!!) and figured out what table cloths to use. I am like that cute commercial where the young wife is practicing her holiday meal before the family arrives. Not so young anymore....but still giddy and feeling like I am playing house.

I still dread the actual cooking part, but hopefully having Writer Son's adorable girlfriend with me will add enough spark to make it fun. I'll let you know how it turns out. Smoke detectors may need to be disconnected - Note to self.

My Life in Six Words - Today

I am hungry, but hate cooking!

Six Word Saturday

Blog-Land Made Me Heartsick

A trip though random blog-land was disturbing to me yesterday. Blogger has "improved" the device at the top of our blog pages that allows us to see what the "Next Blog" is. In the past it could take you to a blog about earth worms all written in Greek. You never knew where you would end up. So they made it more precise & fixed it so that it will always go to blogs that are similar to yours. Same language & subject matter.

Actually I liked the crazy randomness of it, except for the creepy sexy ones that had to be super-quickly clicked away! But yesterday's experiment with the upgrade hurt my heart & I am not sure that I can explain it, but I will try.

I am supposing that it is due to my mentions of God & prayer once in a while; I was sent to all "Christian" blogs. I saw about 4 that were wall to wall scripture & preaching. There were 2 that were so hateful regarding abortion & Obama that I had to double check that they called themselves christian. Others were so drippy-sweet that my teeth hurt more than when I eat candy-corn! A few worked really hard at turning every little action & thought into a Bible lesson.

My main thought was....no wonder people are not interested. My heart hurts that followers of Jesus are seen as hateful & narrow-minded, but I can see it for myself in the blogs that I have been lumped together with. I love scripture, I hate abortion (but not the people who have them or the Docs that do them.), and yes, God is evident all around us. But He is also funny & creative & surprising.

Would one of those super sweet blogs ever say they had a super crappy day? Probably not, because it would appear they had lost their salvation to admit such a thing. We (Christians) are real people who poop, get angry, say the wrong thing & lose our tempers. God is OK with all of that. He made us & knows all the garbage in us & still He loves us.

I believe that most Christians take themselves too seriously. More seriously than God does. We tend to make things harder than they are. Studying every little word of a passage to the point of ridiculousness. ( is that a word?) He may be shaking His head saying, "It only means what I said & nothing more. Give it a rest already!" :)

I love God with all my heart & I'm not ashamed to say it. And please don't take offense, but sometimes I AM ashamed to say I am a Christian. It reminds me of that great line in "Princess Bride"........"I don't think that word means what you think it means."

It's a Must Have item!

Things get a little goofy in commercial-land at this time of year. We all cracked up & blogged about those crazy Snuggly-blankets that have been advertised all year, but have you seen this?

Yes, it is exactly what you have been looking & hoping for isn't it? We can at last relax because now our hands can wear underpants!

What's next, hand thongs?

"Fearless" A Book Review

Buy		Read

I actually read this new book by Max Lucado some time ago & then did not get around to pulling this together until now. For some reason the book did not rock me as I had expected it would. I love this author because his writing is very conversational & full of stories to illustrate his message. But this book on being fearless did not show me anything really new. That may be because fighting fear is an old & ongoing battle for me. I have conquered so much over the years that the book may be old ground for me, but surely not for many others.

This paragraph sums up the main message of the book....

"As awe of Jesus expands, fears of life diminish. A big God translates into big courage. A small view of God generates no courage. A limp. puny, fireless Jesus has no power over cancer cells, corruption, identity theft, stock-market crashes, or global calamity. A packageable , portable Jesus might fit well in a purse or on a shelf, but He does nothing for your fears. "

We all know people who seem to focus on the many bad & horrible things that COULD happen. The nightly news is a major culprit to fear, that's how they get you to stay tuned beyond the commercial. This book addresses that & could be very helpful & freeing for fear motivated people.

Ready, Set, Write!

I just spent about 4 hours writing! No, not little comments on FaceBook & Blogger, but real writing! Several posts ago I talked about an article idea I had regarding a family custom from my childhood. Since then it has been put off again & again or I've allowed myself to get too distracted with all of you lovely folk to begin actually putting my memories into words on this here laptop.

The fun part is that due to re-connecting on FaceBook with the cousins involved in the family memory, I have a new angle for the story, and every story needs a good angle. No, I did not say angel, though that would be lovely!

I do not know if this will get anywhere, and the "anywhere" I want is into a print magazine like my new favorite magazine "More". They have a great website that is interactive & they invite readers to send in stories. It may be possible that this is used to weed out the stories they like for their print magazine.

I love the writing process....once I sit myself down & get into it. I lose all track of time & space. What word is best? How can I make that sentence more smooth or funny? What picture does this paragraph paint?

I am now 54 years old. Many people would be thinking of winding down their careers or adventures at this place in the life time-line. But I still have at least 20 more years most likely right? A lot can & does happen in 20 years. I no longer have diapers, school principals or kids doctor appointments to keep. My house pretty much stays the way I leave it each day. (Pretty much! Still have a 23 year old here.)

I am a working woman but my time is mine to divide up as I desire for the most part. Going after this dream of being a writer is scary & daunting. But I believe that I have been talking & writing about it long enough, it's time to do it! Oy, I am scaring myself even as I type these words!! Hitting the publish button feels like signing a contract right now.....shall I hit it?

Keeping My Hands Open

Falling in love with twenty-somethings can be brutal! Exhausting is another word for it, along with wonderful & exhilarating! Hubs & I teach a handful of them each year in our ministry school here in California & we love it with all that is in us. We give ourselves to them 4 days a week officially & of course more than that in our hearts & minds. (And on our cell phones & email!)

They come to us from all different states & countries, from all different backgrounds & family situations. I have become mom/sister/friend/counselor depending on the void in them that needs to be filled. Always pointing them to God as the only true dependable one who will never let them down.

The tricky part for me is the letting-them-go part. After their one year or two years with us they head back home or off to other parts of the world to be what they have learned they were designed to be. I get used to saying good-bye & resolve to adapt to not seeing them every day. Then they suddenly appear again! Walking into school at 8 am as a surprise or I see them worshiping on a Sunday morning in our home church where they are surrounded by huggers waiting in line to greet them, bouncing up & down, screaming as only 20 year old girls can!

Just this week I am saying goodbye to A____ who had recently moved back to our town after graduating last year & being gone for several months. Now she is off to flight school in her home town, which is not here! This morning at church I was happy to see two other former students visiting from out of town & they whispered that they are seriously considering moving back here in a few months!!

My poor heart is getting dizzy from all this coming & going! We have graduated 145 students over the years & I am somewhat in contact with all of them, some more than others. But all are in our hearts & thoughts. Hubs & I will dream about one or another & wonder what is going on with them. Good old FaceBook & Myspace are great for keeping in contact easily.

Falling in love with twenty-somethings is full of laughter, tears, more laughter, lots of long hugs, new language, creativity, challenge to old thinking, refusal to settle & of course more laughter. It requires huge flexibility...not something I am known for! I love my life. I adore these energetic, adventurous people. I will continue to let myself fall in love with them because it is totally WORTH IT!

Colorful Me!

I was so happy yesterday when it began to rain lightly, thinking it may rain all weekend. Most would not desire rain over a weekend but I loved the idea of being stuck in the house with nothing to do but......

play with my laptop of course!
But the rain was only for Friday. Today, Saturday is a gorgeous sunny & crisp day. So I cleaned & did laundry like most Saturdays (exciting huh?). Why my mind says that I need a rainy day to not feel guilty about playing with my computer? Don't know. It's not as if cleaning & laundry cannot be done on a rainy day too! Silly woman. For some reason it felt like a rainy day gave permission to sit around more. Really makes no sense I know.

But, as you can see I also found time to mightily overcome my fun-guilt & had some creative release playing with the iphoto portion of my Mac. Actually the 2nd pic has nothing to do with Mac, it is a website called "FaceinHole.com" & it is a riot to explore & experiment. (If you can get past all the nearly nude photo options! ha!)

.....And yay me! I recently went from 36 Followers to 40 just out of the blue, after months staying at 36!! Crazy but I like it! Welcome to this still unidentified themed blog, hope you enjoy & return & leave comments!

Motorcycle Mama Again

No, I do not ever ride alone! I like to ride on Hubs bike cuddled up close.

But he wanted some pics of me on the bike. Or else he wanted pics of the new bike

& USED me as an excuse!

I am loving our second bike a lot! It is bigger than the Honda Shadow.

It's a Yamaha Roadstar & the second seat is way more comfy.

(Did I already talk about this?) Got a vague feeling I have.

Anyway, it will make longer rides much more do-able.

We have learned that we really need to get off & stretch or get a meal

every hour though. Otherwise being in the same position causes leg cramps & an overall

painful muscle situation.

Recently we rode an hour to a small town

& stopped for breakfast in a little diner!

It was perfect!

Dear Walking Butterfly Blog,

I really need to apologize to you. I created you with love & care. Numerous hours were spent typing, dragging & talking to myself. I sat with my laptop, smiling one minute & grumbling the next! You have been my pride & joy. My secret indulgence that very few (extremely few!) knew about.

Please believe that I still adore you! I do! I still smile when I see you & I continue

to think of things to post on you as I go to sleep at night. WELL ACTUALLY....that last statement is not completely true & this is where I need to tell you the truth even though it is a difficult thing to say to you.

I have been seeing someone else.

It's not you....it's me. I just needed something more, I'm so sorry. Here she is.....

Actually she is going to help me spend more time with you! But recently she has been consuming me. Miss MacBook is pretty high maintenance, at least until I get to know her better. To be truthful, she has kept me up very late at night & yes, I confess that I have even dreamed about her! I know....that must hurt, I'm so

sorry!

But can't we live together happily? Can't I love you both? I do think we can live peacefully together. So I am apologizing for ignoring you lately. I have noticed sadly that my neglect of you has also dismally affected my comment numbers. That must be kind of embarrassing for you in front of the other, more popular blogs. Again, please forgive me & I will try to correct that in any way I can, ok?

Are we good now? Are we friends again? I hope so, because you are my link to the world wide web of interesting & funny people. Let's get out there now & you & I & Miss MacBook will send a flurry of words & pictures all over the place & see what comes back, ok? Do I need to get you some flowers or chocolates?

In MY Dreams.....

Recanting

These are pics of the neighbor's house I was complaining about in my last post. I do dislike the plastic stuff but it actually looked pretty cool after dark. They had a smoke machine & scary music & attracted a ton of people.

So I recant my Halloween Grinch episode.....but I still don't like seeing the stuff all flattened every morning in yards.

And this pic is an example of why I'm not crazy about answering the door on that particular night! Tricker-treaters of the large variety !

Of course this strange looking one is Rocker Son who was NOT tricker-treating but he was headed out to a big bash in the country as a Village People person.

Do I ask for details of the all night party? You bet I do not! Today he is sleeping the sleep of the serious party-ers & I am making as much noise as possible around the house! Ha!

Such a compassionate mama!

They are Baaaaack!!

It is holiday yard decorating time again. No, not cute little christmas wreaths & fake snowmen. In my neighborhood it's all about how creepy you can get for Halloween. And to make it even awfull-er looking they are using a bunch of plastic inflatables this year!!!

I so hate those things! Way back last December I wrote about the "Santa Graveyard". My rant was regarding all those blow-up Santas, elves, cartoon people etc in so many yards around me. Not only are they ugly when blown-up, but every single morning they are flat & it looked like I was driving past huge Santa Cemeteries every morning!

This week my neighbors erected about 6 huge monsters & creatures all over their yard. Then we had a crazy wild wind storm & they got shredded & I thought that would be the end of it, but today they are back again! I guess I am a Halloween Grinch if there is such a thing, I wouldn't want to be the parent of small kiddies now when you never know what scary thing is around the corner for the month of October.

Ok I think I am done with my grumbling for now. I doubt if I have an appropriate picture to post because I am on MY NEW MACBOOK!! Yep, I am loving it & do not regret changing one bit! I haven't uploaded many pics but I'll go take a look now before I post this amazing piece of literature................Oh! There you go, I found that adorable little dancing skeleton, I'm surprised the neighbors don't have him in their yard too!

Victim of Peer Pressure?

Who is affecting who? My face looks pretty strange here, especially considering that we were really in a goofy mood on the back row of a class time. Two of my former students joined us for the day & we laughed & compared our body art while others led the teaching time.

As you other teachers out there know, we learn more than we teach sometimes. This new generation is so inspiring in the beautiful & fun freedom they have! I know that I am making a positive difference in their lives, but at the same time they are also nudging me towards having more fun & turning off the "I'm too old" talk! That's why I love being around them so much!

I'm Getting It!

I'm playing around until I get it figured out. This is so fun! That first pic is some kind of special effect to make it look like a sketch I think. Ok back to work....I mean play!

I'm A MacBooker!

I stayed home from work today to be here for my awaited MacBook delivery. I am normally home by 3 or 4 & FedX often comes as late as 5 or 6 but I was not taking any chances. The idea of my shiny new MacBook sitting on my corner lot porch was not acceptable. So I ran one quick early morning errand & got busy cleaning my house to help me pass the time.

Only problem was that I kept running to the front door every time I heard anything near sounding like a big delivery truck on my block! Then I happened to be near the front door when someone knocked on it & I nearly jumped out of my skin! I even yelped in surprise & the delivery guy was chuckling when I opened the door.

So I have spent the following 9 hours with 2 hours off for meals, exploring this new world of Mac-ness. It is a bit different & will take some getting used to, but I am totally thrilled with my new toy! And guaranteed no viruses!! woo-hoo! At this point I can't figure out how to get the one photo booth pic I took of myself onto this post, but I'll get it figured out before long.

I am one happy camper and a super thankful one too! And now I can sit anywhere I want when I'm on my computer. My messed up laptop could not be moved even one inch without it switching to battery, even when it was plugged in! Argh! Now I am FREE!

I Can So Be Bought!!!!

I realize that I should think this post through before hitting publish.....but I AM TOO EXCITED to wait! Something truly amazing & shocking has occurred in my family & I am still reeling with the unexpectedness of it. Oh it's good, yes indeedy...it is good!







Most women can be bribed, bought, blessed or whatever you want to call it by a gift of diamonds or gold or shoes. I guess that I am a nerd, remember when I was overwhelmed to tears when Hubs bought me my Blackberry? I still cannot believe what I am about to type.........Hubs bought me a very expensive MacBook!!!!! Told you I was a nerd!


It is not my birthday, anniversary, Christmas or even pms. He did it totally out of the blue, for no reason other than MY PLEASURE! Yes, it is technically our money, not his, but we don't spend easily, especially on PLEASURE items.

Buying the motorcycles was a very big deal that we talked over & around for ages before giving ourselves permission to invest in our FUN. We are both sale rack junkies & he adores eBay for the cheap deals he can hunt up. We have been INTENTIONALLY trying to see pleasure as something worth putting our money into. That it is just as important as being productive & a hard worker.

God INVENTED pleasure! He likes it a lot! Men & women were designed to give each other pleasure right? That was not a necessity in the creation process. Look at wild flowers & the varieties of fish in the sea. Why make so many different colors, aromas & shapes? For our delight & for God's pleasure!

When Hubs first handed me the print out of what he had ordered from the Mac Store, my eyes searched for the number with the little striked through S! The $ sign. When I saw it I told him no way, it made no sense. I don't make my living on a laptop. He just kept grinning & nodding at me as my mind told me that I had better get busy on becoming a real writer & bringing more office work home with me to make this worthwhile. While wiping tears away in the office bathroom (We were at work!) I heard my God whisper, "It's for pleasure Dear." WHAT?

Pleasure is not a sensible reason to spend big bucks! I am learning that pleasure is indeed God's idea & telling us to take a day for rest was only the beginning. We require joy, laughter & fun to be our best. My arguing with Hubs or with God would be ridiculous at this point.
The deed is done. And I AM GETTING A MACBOOK !! Arriving next week on my doorstep!!

Mr. Shopaholic

Even though Hubs violently refused to watch "Confessions of a Shopaholic" with me, he has more than a little bit in common with the main character! He is a SHOPPER, but unlike her, he is not much of a BUYER. He just really enjoys the hunt & the excitement of finding an amazing deal. eBay was made for him! He has clothed himself with eBay finds & managed to buy our first bike & all it's extras totally from eBay hunting. So yes, he does sometimes actually part with the bucks in order to snag the shocking deal of the century, but not in a habitual or negative way.




These pics are of our SECOND MOTORCYCLE! Another great deal, this one found through Craig's List. We have been longing to take some longer over-night trips & the first bike was not made for long rides with 2 people. This Yamaha Road Star is way more comfy for me. Floorboards instead of just pegs & a wider (snicker, snicker!) seat for my wider seat. Ha! And it has all those yummy cargo bags so I can actually take more than just what I can fit in my pockets now!! Learning to leave the house without my purse was a huge hurdle to jump over when we first started riding! Such a woman! There are also 2 more matching bags that can be strapped on the bike behind me.
That is Rocker Son with Hubs checking out the bike the first day we brought it home. He approves & is probably devising a way to get his hands on it sometime.




I have found one little bug-a-boo with this bike though. See those big side bags that I was so happy to get? And that nice back rest for me? Well, in order to get myself on the bike after Hubs is seated I must raise my leg up & OVER like getting on a really wide horse. But the horse would not have a high backrest to reach beyond. Not a problem with the bag-less bike, but I guess the extra width of those hard sided bags is adding a bit of major stretch to the job!




Back to the YOGA workouts for me!

Friday Fill In -Whatever!

I have a lot going around in my head to write about & for some reason that makes me put it off! It doesn't make sense I know! I know. So I will do this Fill-It-In-Friday thing instead ok? OK.
#145




And...here we go!

1. Sweet dreams are what life is all about!

2. I had a decoupaged journal made especially for me.

3. Silliness is medicine to the soul, like laughter for the heart!

4. I will traditionally be watching "White Christmas" again this Halloween.

5. Outstanding or not I will keep doing this silly blog!

6. A magic weight-loss wand is what I want right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to resting after being flu-ish, tomorrow my plans include getting some food in this house and Sunday, I want to go have fun at church & out to eat with my friends!

Frankie & Me!

While sitting in class this last Friday, Hubs was called out of the room by the Front Desk Receptionist. Not an unusual request & we had a Guest Teacher in for the day so it was no biggee for him to step out for a bit. When he returned I asked what the problem was & he said just something little he had to take care of. Not a problem.

Toward the end of the class time I was writing something down in my notes from the teacher about how we are each strong enough to handle anything thrown at us & if we believe we can conquer something then we will. Hubs pointed to my notes & whispered to me, "Remember this after class ok? You can handle what coming up after class ok?"

What?? I told him that he was scaring me & he better tell me what was going on! He saw that my mind had gone to some really bad possibilities....wouldn't yours? So he told me that it wasn't bad, but I may not like it & that it was a surprise from a former student. That helped a bit , but yikes! What in the world was waiting for me downstairs after class? I walked out of the room which is at the top of a flight of stairs that go down into the Reception area of the church offices. ALL THE STAFF are gathered at the top of the stairs, staring at me & grinning as I went past them & descended the stairs. I grabbed Hubs arm & said "Do not leave me, stay close ok?"

At the bottom I see a stranger with a bunch of big black speakers stacked around him & a microphone in his hand, he asks if I am Brenda Susan. I say yes & he asks if I like Frank Sinatra & again I nod & say yes. So then he says that he has been sent to sing me some Sinatra songs & asks which one is my favorite. My answer to this poor guy was not the most gracious at all!

"You pick one, just do it!" I know, awful, awful! But I was just so caught off guard, it's not my birthday or anything & Hub's warnings to me just made it worse instead of better! (Yes, I am blaming him for my rudeness to this poor working guy!) He says, "Just get it over with?" And I nod "yes please." (I am so sorry now & wish I had enjoyed it more.)

By now the entire school has been dismissed & the steps behind me are clogged with sitting, laughing students! Hubs is holding me & I begin to enjoy the great song & great voice of this Frank Sinatra singer. He sang, "I've Got The World on A String" & it was beautiful!

I really do feel sorry for the guy because apparently when Hubs was called out of class it was to talk to this guy & he gave the singer the third degree because he wanted to protect me from a stripper kind of thing, or whatever. Poor, poor guy, just trying to make a living!

When he was done & the applause was over I talked to him while he packed up his stuff. He could only tell me that a former student who loved me very much had hired him to come sing some Sinatra to me. That's all he could say. I have no clue who did this, but I have some suspicions & I am checking up on them, but have a feeling I will never know who "blessed" me with this little surprise!

Two Worlds

One of my favoritest blog friends has asked that I add her to my Facebook Friends. But, dear Lisa, as much as I love you & your blog, (You should check her out, she is a thinker who also has humor. Not an easy mix!) I have made an intentional decision to keep my Blog world separate from my Facebook world. Mainly because my FB world is also my real world, that includes all my relatives, kids, friends, co-workers & students current & past.

I am not at all ashamed of what I write here, but I really am protective of my freedom to write anything. Some things you see on here are also posted in the "Notes" section of my FB page but not everything. For instance I did not post these two recent writings on Facebook. They would have completely embarrassed my son & his new girlfriend. (BTW, Writer Son bought a ticket to his lady-love's state today! He will be there for a month & then decide from there what the next step is!! Wow, this is big for my "stay where it's safe" guy!)

So, the two worlds are kept secret from one another. If a blog friend commented me on FB then it could be traced back here. This kinda sounds like I am pretty paranoid, but it's more about freedom than suspicion or secrecy. Maybe some day I will be free enough to vent openly on FB, but for now it is not the right place for letting my self ramble like I seem to be doing here at this moment! Ha! Time to say bye-bye!

Facebook Has taken Over My Life!

First of all, please know that I am not really complaining about facebook, not at all! I love it! But something kind of weird happened today & it has disturbed & amused me. As I told you in my last post, Writer Son has discovered that he loves his best friend & since they have been best friends for 3 or 4 years, everyone around here is rejoicing & saying "Well, duh!".

Hubs & I have been totally enjoying this development because we had her picked out as the perfect one for him for quite a long time. But they had to come to that for themselves & the last few days have been full of great chats with my eldest son & huge grins shared between Hubs & I. Now, here is where Facebook comes in & it gets weird.........

I teared up when they both changed their "Relationship Status's" on their Facebook pages! If you are unfamiliar, it changes from "Single" to "John Doe is in a relationship with Jane Lane". It was as if this whole new relationship was not real until it appeared on Facebook!! How messed up is that? It felt like that declaration for all the world to see was the proof that this is love!!

Facebook is also the reason I am getting reconnected with my cousins after 35 years. We are having a blast comparing old pictures & bringing up funny memories of our childhood summers together. It's been truly wonderful! This would not have happened without FB & I am thankful for this connection place.

But still, the idea that changing their relationship status on Facebook is the modern equivalent of declaring your love from the mountain tops is so funny to me! But I think it is true. That is a pretty big deal. Everyone you know; grandparents, friends, co-workers, enemies...everyone gets the news at the same moment. And then come the responses from all these people in your life. Writer Son got tons of comments (most pg rated) of cheers & thumbs up & "it's about time"! (My restraint will now be tested. As Mom, I don't want to get in there too much & embarrass him you know?)


My comments so far have just been really big smiles! :)

Young Love

Yay for young love!

Of course here they were just best friends

but what better way to start a great relationship.

I am so loving this!

<3

One Happy Mom!

OK, this is one of those times that I am extremely happy that this blog is a secret between you all & me! My friends & family do not have the address & if some friends have found it on their own I have asked that they not tell me. (They all know I have the blog but I don't give out the address.) I like the FREEDOM to write without worrying about feelings & whatever.


ANYWAY!.......


See that picture of the happy lady? Multiply that expression about a million times & you'll get me & my face! I still want to protect my loved one's privacy so I'll be sorta careful here but oh man, am I happy about this development!


Writer Son has finally realized that he is in love with his best friend! Ahem, yes, she is a she! They have been super close for the last 4 years & have adamantly defended their friendship from others who kept saying it really looked like a deeper relationship. Nope, nope it is just a friendship they have been singing for a long time. They know each other so well & have seen one another through fun stuff & really hard stuff, ugly stuff & beautiful stuff.



Two nights ago he came over & sitting on our couch told us that they have moved to a different relationship. Hubs & I have long wanted them to see what we see, but could not say anything, so as he is talking to us, my grin is getting bigger & bigger & it is hard to contain my joy & happiness! I glance at Hubs & he is staring at the floor, obviously (to me) also working hard to hold in his enthusiasm so we don't overwhelm the poor boy! Ha! Hubs & I have talked to each other about our love for this little amazing girl & how perfect she is for Writer Son. At last I hug the boy & tell him how happy we are to see him so happy. After he left the house Hubs & I just looked at each other a practically did that girly scream you see on TV when women get excited!


***So, if you are a friend of mine in real life; don't you dare tell my guy that I wrote about him on the internet ok? Big trouble for me. Thanx!***

Fashion Backward

More about my cousins & me if you can stand it. These 3 photos illustrate
the differences between us.

The eldest child in the first 2 pics were obviously still wearing mom-chosen clothes.

I am in the second pic with the cute little cardigan & straight leg pants that were not jeans!

In the last pic is my coolest cousin, the girl in the peg leg jeans. She was always fashion forward compared to me.

These are from the 60's as I am sure you can tell....but not from my families pic!

Wonder Where This Will Go....

On the long drive home from our visit to our mom's homes in WA & OR I took a little nap & fantasized about writing an article on the 55er Club. As mentioned here, it was an important part of my childhood which I shared with my cousins. In my not-quite-asleep mode I realized that an article would require some quotes from the other cousins involved in our joint childhood experiences. This is something I dreaded a bit. I am not really close to any of them at this point in our lives. There are 4 of the original five 55er's still alive & I Facebook with one of them & only have seen the other two at weddings & funerals over the years. Not what you could call a real relationship anymore!

A few days after getting home I wrote a comment on my cousin's Facebook page asking what her favorite 55er Club memory was. She answered immediately & enthusiastically & suggested we have a party to celebrate 2010 as the year all of us turn 55! This was exactly what I was hoping would not happen! I love a party. I do! But I love a party with PEOPLE I KNOW!

I tried to get out of the idea as gently as I could, then finally told her that since the other cousins were basically strangers; a party did not sound fun to me. Guess what happened! The VERY NEXT DAY cousin number 3 sends me a FRIEND REQUEST on Facebook! Sneaky cousins!! So at this point the 3 of us are really having a great time sharing photos from our 55er Club camp out days & I have to say it has been great & a little weird.

It is an interesting experience to go back in time along with others who lived the same things but may see it from a different perspective. They each have different snapshots of our times on the "island" every summers end, both literally & figuratively. We are enjoying exchanging photos & memories. As I hear another version of my experiences it brings back more memories than I knew I knew. I really do not know where this will all lead.

I'll let you know as I go ok?

The 55er Club

Once upon a time, fifty-five years ago next year to be exact, five cousins were born in the same year. When the great & momentous occasion of their 5th birthday & going to Kindergarten arrived, the mommies & daddies decided to celebrate with a week end camp out at the end of the summer just before school would begin. The camp out became an enduring family tradition up until the 55er club reach into their teen years & the families got too busy with other things.

The other day I was pondering the arrival of my 55th birthday in 2010 & realized that this is again a very momentous occasion! So I contacted the one cousin I am in contact with on FB & one thing led to another & now there are 3 of us chatting away on FB about getting together next year to celebrate our joint wonderfulness! We are trying to get cousin number 4 to get with it & come to the dark side of Facebook, he is not doing well physically so other things may be much more important for him at this time. Cousin number 5 sadly did not survive our 12 year due to an awful accident that took her short life.

Who knows where this all will lead. My cousins & I are very thankful for our fun childhood & shared stories of those camp outs each year. We are also very different people now & the emotion of getting to know one another all over again has been really interesting & sometimes just too much for me. I am not the quiet, reserved, easy-to-boss-around cuz anymore & I am needing to very intentionally assert myself as this new free person to my cousins even just through chats on FB. It's crazy! The old feelings of being mowed over by stronger personalities is so tempting to just go along with. But, that will not happen now, because I am different.

Let's see where this will go in the coming weeks. I am seriously thinking about writing about our camp outs & this process for a magazine article. Who knows, it could be my big breakthrough into freelance writing.

???????

Does popped corn count as a vegetable?????

C'mon, it should right?

Been Daydreaming....

On our long ten hour drive home from Washington I had a chance to just think. How often does that happen for such an extended time? Someone mentioned in a recent blog post that empty times of relaxation bring out our creative side & this is what happens to me.

After a few hours of keeping Hubs awake on the road by reading him Facebook statuses, which worked really well by the way. Especially when my status said "Please send out some great stuff so I can read them to Hubs to keep him awake!" They came through for me!

Anyway, after a lunch stop & caffeine he told me to go ahead & sleep as we drove the last few hours home. As I rested, my mind came up with a wonderful magazine article idea & I followed that thinking long enough to figure out how to do the research & what photos I would want with it & even a lot of the text was swirling around in my sleepy head!

Of course there is always the danger that ideas that come during sleepy times may be crazy once the eyes are open & real life hits with a bang. But this idea is still a good one & I COULD do it! I am in my mid fifties & still have at least 25 or so years to go right? That is enough time for lots of amazing magazine articles....theoretically, at least.

BUT

will I be able to discipline myself & my time enough to accomplish this fun goal? Sure would love to, sure would feel proud to see my stuff in a real live magazine or an online e-zine. What a silly time to be thinking this way! Our school begins on the 15th of September & it consumes me....but maybe it shouldn't. Maybe I need to do this for me, just to know I can.

I don't know.

For now I guess I will keep tapping away on my own blog
where I am free to send out garbage or beauty

with exactly the same pay.

A Weekend at The Parents

Just spent a great weekend at my folks amazing 1 1/2 acres of woods in WA. They have literally carved out just enough room for a house & mom's garden!

Got a pic of Dad explaining the compost heap to me.

My mom is a Master Gardener & has designed "rooms" of greenery that are so peaceful & calming. Great place to relax & refresh before our busy school year begins.
The funny face she is making under the umbrella is while she is saying, "She'll probably get a pic of me in a stupid pose...like this!" Ha!

We slept in a room of ancestors & books.

My mom is a serious bibliophile...see the book room?

Hubs does not always "get" my mom's creative gardening decorating! I love the pic of him "enjoying" the garden chandelier!

The shot with the red railing is their "backyard"! Gorgeous! We came home very rested....even after a 10 hour drive! Now we are ready for anything.