Happy Birthday To My Blog

Happy Birthday Blog! You are one year old! Un-stinkin'believable! Thank you to my Steve...without you, I would have never started one!

Laughing With My Lisa

This may sound silly to most of you but if you know me well...you know I don't mind being called silly! I am the first one to admit that when I start laughing, I do have a hard time stopping! Tonight I called my best friend, Lisa, (we have known each other for 38 years which I know is impossible being that we are both still only 27!) and I had turned on a show that she had been going on and on about for the last couple of weeks- "Just For Laughs". It was a Candid Camera type show except with no speaking and terribly annoying music! However, some of the pranks that they pulled were so funny! I am on the phone with Lisa and one comes on and we completely lost it! You have to understand that when we are on the phone, it is like we are in our living room watching the stupid show together. (she lives in Oregon) We know each other so well that we can picture each other laughing hysterically- we've seen it in real life many times before! I won't go into the details of it but I was out of control...pee my pants (I didn't but she might have) laughing!!! Thanks to my darling, technology minded daughter aka BRAT I now have me doing the ugly laugh on our camera for her to share with all! She actually put it on her myspace which I promptly told her to remove...thank you very much! Anyway, I love that I have a friend that I can laugh with even if we aren't physically together!

Laugh as much as possible, always laugh. It is the sweetest thing one can do for oneself and one's fellow human beings.

Maya Angelou

Hebrews 11:1

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It's our handle on what we can't see.

Nana's Yarn

I stayed in all day today (Sunday) doing a lot of cleaning and sorting in my bedroom. They will start our bathroom remodel in just a couple of weeks so I really needed to focus on getting things done before that starts. As I was going through some things, I came across a bag of Nana's baby yarn and all of her crocheting needles. I always have such a hard time when it comes to letting go of the sentimental things that she loved so much. She always made such beautiful items and I still have so many that I truly treasure. I had bought a small bucket that has a pretty rose shabby chic look to it- it looks like it could be a small trash can but I would never use it for one. Instead, I put all the small balls of yarn that Nana had rolled up while she was still alive and rolled the rest of the yarn myself. It looks so sweet with all the yarn in it and I am sure that is what God made me buy it for. This way when I start to make something...I can just pick a ball of yarn out and go on my merry little way. Memories are good and when they are made with love, they are even better!

What really matters is what you do with what you have.
Shirley Lord

Peter & Dutch Apple Pie

It has been an extremely rough week for my family. My mom had an extensive surgical procedure over a week ago and the recovery has been very difficult for her. Even more difficult for my sis and I who have been taking care of her! I think the surgeon must have either been drinking wine or used it instead of saline solution because my mom has been more "whiny" than I have ever seen her in my life! Even now as her body is healing, her emotions and temperament are taking their toll on me. I keep saying over and over in my head, "Honor thy mother & father" and I keep hearing Pastor Dale's sermon on how important it is that we tend to our parents as they get older. Needless to say, rough week!!! After my mom was discharged from the hospital, Cindy had her at her house for 2 nights. Saturday morning at 6:00am I was woken up from a sound sleep hearing my mom's voice asking me if I would go and buy her a McDonald's breakfast. I sweetly explained to her that I wasn't going to be there for several hours to give her a shower so breakfast would be over by then! Shea & I had stayed at my sister's house until almost midnight so I was tired! We took her back to her apartment on Saturday at noon and I did have to get stern with her and explain when to call and when not to call. The funny thing is that she is never like this and I keep having to remind myself of that...or I want to spit fire! Anyway, last night Shea & I went to Coco's for dinner. It was so good and we were going to get dessert but we were both just too stuffed. Cindy was picking up Chelsea at the airport and I told her that we were going to bring dessert to her house and meet her there. Shea & I always get either chocolate cream or banana cream pie and split it. For some reason, dutch apple pie sounded so good. (That's what made Shea think of taking it to Cindy's because she knew that Cindy had a big tub of vanilla ice cream from the shakes she was making for my mom.) Cindy, Chels, & Peter finally came home and Peter was so excited that we chose that pie! You see, what I didn't know was that Cindy & Pete had gone to Denny's earlier for lunch and he tried to order dutch apple pie and they were out of it! I had no idea and usually, I would have never chosen that flavor of pie!!! As Cindy & I laughed about it she said, "What a coincidence" and of course I just rolled my eyes and said, "There are no coincidences in life- you should know that by now!" Please pray for my mom and for her recovery.

The larger the pie, the greater number of possible slices big enough to sustain the lives of individual species.
E.O. Wilson

Shea's California ID Card

Shea & I went to Idaho over the 4th of July to visit Traci (Shea's dance teacher since she was two years old and the first person that I ever left Shea alone with other than my mom) and her family. Traci's mom & dad celebrated their 80th birthday together. It was a week filled with tons of family, loud nights, rotating shower schedules, but most of all...just plain ol' fun & relaxation! I did the party favors and centerpieces for the tables and it all looked great. Before we left, I had decided that we needed to get Shea an ID card. I am so tired of people thinking she is older- from movies to restaurants, etc...I made an appointment to go to the DMV in Simi Valley rather than by our house. We do so much out there and I wanted to check out their new facility. We get there and I was shocked at how clean it was inside! We filled out the necessary paperwork and went and sat down. We noticed that all the employees were crabby. (some things never change no matter where the geography takes you!) Shea & I couldn't help but giggle every time this one DMV employee (an older man) would tell this little girl, "Stop playing with the pen!" He must have said it at least 3 times while we were filling out the paperwork and each time we couldn't help but laugh and repeat it in our own snotty voices. I know, I know, what am I teaching my daughter about respecting authority? What can I say, the guy was a dweeb! Geez- it's a pen, not a thousand dollar camera! The only copy of Shea's birth certificate that I have is well glued into her baby book. It is in a 3 hole punched page type baby book so I just took the whole page out rather than try and rip it off and take the chance that I might tear it. The guy we got to help us was really sweet and even cracked a few smiles while he helped us. He took Shea's baby book page and had to show his supervisor to which they all oh & awed at all her cute photos on the back side of the page! When it came time to pay the $22.00, he told me they only took cash or ATM cards...well, I realized I didn't have very much cash and I never use my ATM card so I don't even know my pin number...or so I thought! I can't tell you where I pulled the number out of (too graphic for my blog talk) but needless to say, Shea & I breathed a sigh of relief as he told us it went through! Whew! On to take the picture...more lip gloss, a few more hair flips and she was ready. Smile, click and we were on our way! When we arrived back from Idaho her ID was waiting for us in the stack of mail. I warned her that she probably wasn't going to like her photo and that the DMV was not known for their stunning photography talents. She made me laugh out loud as she pulled out her new CA ID Card and said, "Oh my gosh- I look so cute!" What can I say except the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree!

McDonald's Coffee

I have always loved the smell of coffee! When I was a little girl, I would run across the street to Lisa's house and her mom & dad would always have their coffee machine on a timer so every day it would be brewing in the morning. As soon as I flung their door open (I never knocked...
just walked in) the smell would just permeate through their house. If we stay at a hotel, I always brew the coffee just to "smell" it. Up until about a year ago I never drank the stuff. When I was younger, I always thought it made you old...after all, I would only see older people drinking it! It's funny to think about that now because old & young drink it now...morning, noon & night. I don't own a coffee pot but I will admit that I hope my future husband drinks it because I would love waking up to him and the smell of the coffee brewing! I have to admit that I love McDonald's coffee. I do put a lot of cream in it but no sugar and I have to drink decaf or I will be up for days! I stopped and got a cup this morning as as I was sitting at my desk drinking it, I noticed this phrase on it and I had to laugh:

CAUTION Handle With Care I'M HOT

Hmmm...I wonder if I can make a sticker of that and wear it? As Paris & Nicole would say..."Loves it!"

I think that, by definition, an act of kindness is not something that you brag about later. I think that takes the good out of it somehow.

Lauren Graham

Me and My Luffa

My all time favorite singer is Luther Vandross. As long as I can remember, he has been the one that I could listen to until the end of time. His voice is like no other and can make me melt with the first bar of a song. I love my Luffa and when he passed away a couple of years ago, I felt the same grief as if he were a part of my family. Every time I go to a concert, I always get a bit sad when I think I will never again see him perform live! Mitz & I saw him at the Hollywood Bowl and he sounded so incredible...just like on his albums...without lip syncing! Imagine that! One of my very first CD's that I bought was a double set of his greatest hits. It is by far the most played of any other CD that I own. I love it and I never get tired of his songs and especially of his voice. When I was pregnant with Shea and having my ultrasound, the technician had the radio on. All of a sudden she said, "Gosh, I don't know what just happened, but your baby is going bananas...the baby is moving all around!" I just looked at Rob and laughed because as she said it, a Luther song had come on the radio! As sure as it started...Shea stopped just as soon as the song ended. The tech said she had never seen anything like it! I listened to his CD all throughout my labor and delivery and it was the first music that Shea heard out of the womb! Ok...I really have a point to this long story...You know how you hear on the radio that one of your favorite songs is "coming up next"? Well, this morning I was driving and they announced that "If This World Were Mine" was coming up next so I was so excited to hear it before I got to work. As it started, I was so disappointed! It was some version that needed some desperate help. Yuck! Luffa was not singing!!! I had to change it and take my CD out and hear my Luffa sing it! Later in the afternoon as I was getting my nails done, (and just barely getting over the traumatic experience of the morning sing-a-long gone a wry) I looked at Shea in horror as my all time favorite Luffa song was playing "So Amazing" and AGAIN another crappy ass singer was chopping it to pieces!!!!!!!!!! I do have the CD that many of his friends did after he passed away where they sang many of his songs as a tribute. Those songs were done well! These two are probably going to give me nightmares tonight!

I'd like to be remembered as a premier singer of songs, not just a popular act of a given period.

Luther Vandross