Kim

I worked for Dr. Felt for almost 16 years and in that time, I met thousands of patients. Some were mere aquintances, some became friends and some to this day are like part of my family. You grow in their lives as they do in ours. Dr. Felt and I both had this "thing" about us- The first couple of years working for him, I would just casually mention a patient that we had not seen in awhile and dang it if they didn't call or show up in our office needing us that day or the next day! Dr. Felt had done it throughout his 50+ years of practice and somehow he rubbed off on me. This went on with us for years & years. Towards the end of my time there, it happened so much that he would tease me when we were slow and tell me to start thinking of patients so they would have to call us! Gloria used to just laugh because it only happened to Dr. Felt & I and it wouldn't ever happen if she mentioned someone. Yesterday, totally out of the blue, I mentioned to Shea that I was thinking about my friend, Kim. She is married to a friend that I went to school with, Randy. Russ (Rob's brother) worked with Randy and I always loved Kim so much. We stayed friends for a long time and I did Athena's birthday party favors a few years. We still exchange Christmas cards each year. For some reason (I wish I could remember why) I just was thinking so much about her and wondering how they were. The funny thing is that I verbally told Shea and we talked about them for several minutes. In today's mail, I received a note from Kim! She has become a real estate agent and sent me her newsletter! Isn't that just bizarre? When I told Shea today, she said, "Mom, can you think of Jesse McCartney?"

"Nice Buns!"

When I worked at Shea's school, I would do alot of the BBQ's and staff luncheons and I loved doing them. One of my best friends, Dean, would always catch me as I was carrying the hot dog and hamburger buns in and wink and say, "Nice Buns!" It is just our thing and it's what we always do. I was on my way into work this morning when Minda called me and asked if I would stop and buy the rolls that we needed for meatball sandwiches for Bob's birthday lunch. So I went in and bought 15 huge, french rolls and took them to work. When I got there, I shook my buns from side to side and kind of flung the rolls around. Cherie & Min were quite slow but Min finally said, "I like your rolls!" No woman wants to hear that! Ok- where the heck is Dean when I need him??? I called Dean and told him what happened...to which he replied, "Nice Buns!" Atta boy Deano! There is a reason why he is one of my best friends! xoxoxoxoxo

Reader's Digest

Yesterday, I took Shea to her eye exam where the Dr. told both of us that she sees better than 20/20! Yay for her. I was reading Reader's Digest which I love and read this:

It takes up to 20 positive statements to out weigh the harm done by one negative one- or by a steely squint or impatient "humph!"

I try to teach Shea how important it is to think about what comes out of our mouths, especially when it involves comments about other people. You can never take back negative words, only apologize.

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
Mother Teresa

Never lose a chance of saying a kind word.
William Makepeace Thackeray

I Love Flowers!

Flowers are such a huge part of my life. They bring me more happiness than any one thing that I can think of. Spring is my favorite season because everywhere I look there is new life blooming! I love to smell the jasmine when I step outside, see the beautiful daffodils, the colorful tulips, and the springy irises. I have bought flowers every week for our home for years now and I never tire of choosing what we will have in our home each week. Last week when I went to Costco (the flowers are the only thing worth going to that hellhole for!) I bought the most beautiful white roses with pink edges. There were two dozen so I split them up between our dining room table and our mantle in the living room. They are so pretty and I love going in there and just enjoying them. My niece, Chelsea, (my punkinpuss) started working at a florist and I'm going in to visit her next week. She assured me that they buy bunches of plain, white daisies. Daisies are my favorite and are so hard to find these days!

Cheerfulness, like Spring, opens all the blossoms of the inward person.
Jean Paul Ritcher

Friends are lovely; Love is flower-like; Friendship is a sheltering tree.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

CONTENT- adjective

1.) reasonably happy and satisfied with the way things are 2.) willing to accept or comply with a situation or course of action


When I say my prayers at night, I always thank God for all that He blesses me with. I always give Him praise for all the special family & friends that He puts in my life and I try very hard never to make requests for things to happen in my life. At times when I get discouraged that things aren't moving along as I'd like...I always stop and remember to be content and trust in His timing, not mine.

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.
Beverly Sills

Knut has become one of my favorite little bears! He is so adorable and Shea & I just love him! I love this picture of him with his reflection on the water. He is the baby polar bear in Berlin whose mother abandoned him. There is a huge uproar whether or not to keep him alive in captivity and being bottle fed by humans. C'mon...look at this handsome, little fellow- who could possibly want to put him down? He is beautiful! God did a wonderful job on this little guy!

The Right Tool

I saw this advertisement on a "Flooring" truck and it made me laugh out loud:

"We have the tool to lay anything!"

I thought it was quite catchy myself!

Poor Little Ol' Baby Bunnies!

Last night I called my sister and begged her to go to the grocery store with me. I so badly needed to go and didn't want to drag Shea along...so I talked Cindy into going. I had all these great coupons- I am a coupon girl- but I needed to spend $200.00 to make all the coupons work and I knew I wouldn't hit that much on my own. I dropped Shea off with Peter at Cindy's and we went to the store. As I was waiting for my deli meat, Cindy took off. My first response was to tell her that we needed to go in "order"- I have an order that I follow. No...I don't have to walk every aisle but I need some organization! But we did pretty good and Cindy picked up a cooked chicken and some salads for dinner and we had an indoor picnic when we got back to her house. While we were sitting there eating, Cindy started laughing. She told me about this game that is called "I Never" that her and the kids were playing the other night. (Amy told me last night that she knows it as a drinking game- yes, she is our children's ministry director, go figure!) You put your ten fingers out and go around in a circle saying things like "I never wore braces on my teeth" and since Shea has braces she would have to put one of her fingers in and the winner is the one with the most fingers still out at the end when everyone else has all of their fingers in...get it? So Cindy tells me that as the games goes on for awhile, it's harder and harder to come up with stuff so the other night she says, "I never tried to warm up baby bunnies in a frying pan to try to revive them after they froze outside." Ok...so I admit it- I did it...when I was seven! Cindy & I had found 2 bunnies in our Easter baskets one year and a few weeks later, they had babies. Poor lil' ol' baby bunnies froze to death outside...so I just figured that all I had to do was warm them up and they would come back to life. I tried for quite some time before my dad came in and broke the news to me that it was not going to work. I remember crying for days! Only a sister would remember all those horrible memories and be happy to share them with her kids and my kid...just to make sure they are carried on in our family...FOREVER! Thanks Cin!

Shania Twain

A friend sent me this song and I was reminded of how much I love it. The video is one of the sweetest ones that I have ever seen and what great lyrics!

FOREVER AND FOR ALWAYS (Shania Twain)
In your arms I can still feel the way you
want me when you hold me
I can still hear the words you whispered
when you told me
I can stay right here forever in your arms
And there ain't no way--
I'm lettin' you go now
And there ain't no way--
and there ain't no how
I'll never see that day....
Chorus:
'Cause I'm keeping you
forever and for always
We will be together all of our days
Wanna wake up every
morning to your sweet face--always
Mmmm, baby
In your heart--I can still hear
a beat for every time you kiss me
And when we're apart,
I know how much you miss me
I can still feel your love for me in your heart
And there ain't no way--
I'm lettin' you go now
And there ain't no way--
and there ain't no how
I'll never see that day....
Repeat Chorus
(I wanna wake up every morning)
In your eyes--(I can still see
the look of the one) I can still see
the look of the one who really loves me
(I can still feel the way that you want)
The one who wouldn't put anything
else in the world above me
(I can still see your love for me) I can
still see your love for me in your eyes
(I still see the love)
And there ain't no way--
I'm lettin' you go now
And there ain't no way--
and there ain't no how
I'll never see that day....
Repeat Chorus (2x)
I'm keeping you forever and for always
I'm in your arms

Melinda (Aka: Kip)

Monday night Shea & I called Mel and invited her to go to dinner with us- spur of the moment! While we waited for her to get home, we ran into the market and bought a few things. I found my favorite bunch of flowers, daisies, which seem to be so hard to find these days. I also bought two boquets of roses, one for Mel and one for Shea & I. It took us forever to pick the ones out for Mel...we went back and forth and finally decided on a bunch of white ones that were gorgeous! She was so thrilled and said that nobody had ever given her white roses, ever! Of course, my sick sense of humor said, "Oh, that's because you are such a slut and white stands for purity!" I know...good friend, huh? We went to Musashi's and had a great dinner at the teppan table. (This is the kind of friend Mel is- I hate the salad dressing at the restaurant- so she brought me some that I like from home) We sat with another family who was celebrating one of their sons birthday. I guessed that he was 13...which he was and that his younger brother was 10...right again! I asked the younger boy how old he thought I was and he said, "22"- I told him that he was right on and he was great at the guessing game! I declared him to be the winner! Melinda called and left the sweetest message on our answering machine about how she was enjoying her roses so much and she even sent Shea a photo of them to her cell phone. She also told us how much she loves us...that's even better than my daisies!

We have been friends together, in sunshine and in shade.

Caroline Sheridan Norton

American Idol

Steve & I had a good laugh at work today! (Actually, he was roaring!) For months now, every Thursday when I see him, he asks me what I baked for him! He always tells me that when I first started, that I always bragged about what a good cook & baker that I am. It's true that I have only brought treats in a few times. I started at the same time as another lady and they ended up having to let her go and he constantly eggs me on and says, "Yeah...we got rid of the wrong one!" He is the regional manager and he has the best personality. He's totally sarcastic...which I love, can sound like an announcer on commercials, and I call him "Smiley" because he always has a grin on his face. If he wasn't married...you would think he could be a girl! He loves American Idol and him & I do the update each week when I see him. So, today I am running mail through the postage meter and he is in his office across the way and he says, "So...is the hot girl gonna leave us?" To which I replied, "Honey...I ain't going anywhere." Obviously, I knew he was talking about Antonella...but he was laughing so hard, I thought he was gonna fall off his chair!

"Can You Please Move Your Car?"

Do you ever have those days where you just can't win for losing? At work we all park in a back lot or on the street- usually the parking stinks because of how many of the surrounding business employees also park on the street. On Tuesday, I pulled into "my" usual spot but the guys were cleaning with stuff spread out all over the drive. Around noon Suz called and said, "AD...Hun- I need you to move your car- I can't get out." So I run (happily) out and move my car. About an hour later, Brian (my boss) calls and he's laughing..."AD, can you please move your car?" So I run out AGAIN. (a bit grumpy because it's hot by now- plus...he's laughing, knowing that I am irritated- in a playful way) So I park behind Keith, knowing that he never leaves before me, ever! (The guys always tease me saying, "Good afternoon AD"- I roll in about 9am and they have been there since 6am and I am usually the first one to go home- I always tell them, "Hey, when you are good at what you do, then you can keep my hours too!") The second time I went out, I told the guys who were cleaning, "That's it! If I come out again, I'm going home!" So who comes up a couple of hours later? Mr. Wise Guy, Keith, keys in hand and says, "Hey, AD, I need to go and get gas, can you please move your car?" To which I replied, "Bite me!" We were all laughing so hard because I never say things like that at work...but I was just so done!!!! Keith is my buddy who plays with me all the time so I totally thought he was kidding...but dang it, he wasn't! So out I go again...move my car...laughing the whole time. Some days!

Jerry's Famous Deli

My friend, Jeffrey, has done my taxes for over 20 years! He was a patient of mine when I first started in medical. He used to live out here in the valley for years, but for the last 10 years or so, he lives up North in Santa Maria. Ruby & Jeffrey have become friends as well as my tax man! I know that he loves Jerry's Famous Deli out here so when we went for my appointment, I stopped and picked up what I remembered (off the top of my head no less- Yikes!) that he likes. It was so sweet to see his face when I walked in with that familiar red bag! He was so happy and excited. I love doing small "I love you" gifts (that's what Shea & I call them)- there is something to be said about giving to friends and family when it's not an occasion but just because! I love it so much more! It's the only time in my life when I bought chopped liver- Ruby loves it! I say it alot, "Well what am I? chopped liver?" When we were leaving, Jeffrey asked if he could give me anything for his food...my reply was, "Yes...a big hug!" And he did!

Malibu Beach & Me

I decided last night that we would take a drive to the beach and have lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, Gladstone's in Malibu. There is something about sitting outside, watching the ocean, and having lunch that I just love! It was a beautiful day with the perfect breeze. Shea & I picked up my nephew, Peter, and the three of us had a blast. They shared the hugest crab legs that any of us had ever seen in our lives. I still can't stand to touch the stuff (literally)...so I enjoyed my clam chowder and my clean hands! The two of them went to town, cracking and pulling and chowing down, not to mention, having a bit of silly fun with the crab claws. After lunch, the kids walked down to the beach and climbed all over the rocks. They saw dolphins, crabs, sea creatures, and lots of pretty sea shells. I stayed up by the restaurant and enjoyed the view- something about cute boys in wet suits...does it for me every time! I love going to the beach and there is nothing in the world like the California coastline! Breathtaking.

Lunch: $100.00 Valet Parking: $6.00 Being with people that I love: Priceless

Mark Schultz

This is one of my new favorite songs. It's so beautiful & I still haven't listened to it without crying...I remember it took a year before I could listen to Mercy Me's "I Can Only Imagine" without crying my eyes out! I actually bought Mark's CD online as a pre-sale and he autographed it for me! Pretty cool stuff! The first time that I heard this song with Shea, I could barely tell her that it reminds me of the movie, "The Notebook", I had the weepy voice & all.

Artist/Song name- Mark Schultz "Walking Her Home" lyrics

Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call
Her dad said son
Have her home on time
And promise me you’ll never leave her side
He took her to a show in town
And he was ten feet off the ground
(Chorus)
He was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled
it stole the breath right out of him
Down that old road
With the stars up above
He remembers where
he was the night he fell in love
He was walking her home
Ten more years and a waiting room
At half past one
And the doctor said come in and meet your son
His knees went weak
When he saw his wife
She was smiling as she said he’s got your eyes
And as she slept he held her tight
His mind went back to that first night
(Chorus)
He walked her
through the best days of her life
Sixty years together
and he never left her side
A nursing home
At eighty-five
And the doctor said
it could be her last night
And the nurse said Oh
Should we tell him now
Or should he wait until the morning to find out
But when they checked her room that night
He was laying by her side
Oh he was walking her home
And holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled
when he said this is not the end
And just for a while they were eighteen
And she was still more beautiful
to him than anything
He was walking her home
He was walking her home
Looking back
He sees it all
It was her first date the night he came to call

Cantaloupe Memories

The thing that I love about memories is that it can take so little to take you back to a time in your life that feels like it was just yesterday! I was just in my kitchen, cutting up a cantaloupe. As I was cutting, I was reminded of my grandfather, "Tata"- it took me back to this little coffee shop (a real coffee shop...not Starbucks!) that he would take Cindy & I to and we would always get cataloupe alamode. We would each get 1/2 of the cantaloupe with a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! It doesn't sound like anything that I would eat now but we loved it back then! Tata would also give us each a dollar and let us go wild in "Pic N Save"- it was always such a treat! It also got me to thinking about the A&W Rootbeer that we would go to. Now, those were truly the good ol' days! Yum!

As I was writing this, Lisa called me. It was so funny because she remembers going with us to that coffee shop! She didn't remember the cantaloupe alamode but she remembers the coffee shop! I know she remembers eating chili beans and drinking Hi-C orange as we swam for hours in Nana & Tata's pool! Lisa & I were laughing because she asked me if I saw the new Marie Calenders Lemon pie. (I love lemon anything!) Somehow we got to talking about the $5.99 pie month and she proceeded to tell me that they do this special 2 times a year- February & October. I was laughing and said, "It's kind of funny how you know what two months Marie Calender's does it's pie sale...do you know which months daylight savings time are?" We decided that Feb & Oct are close to when daylight savings time is...so we are covered!

Some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.

Willa Cather

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above."

James 1:17

Signs

When I redecorated my home, I have found that I love signs! As I look around, I have so many of them in my home in each room.

Living Room: "Faith...Family...Friends"

Dining Room: "As for me & my house...We shall serve the Lord"
(above our front door)
"God bless this home and all who enter"
(Above our kitchen entry)
" Live well...Laugh often...Love Much"
"It takes a long time to grow old friends"

My Bedroom: "Count your blessings"
(above my door)
"Do something everyday that you love"
(above my dresser)
"Home is where the heart is"
And my newest purchase from Solvang last weekend:
"Surround yourself with things you love"

I love all my signs and what each one has to say!