Happy Spring 2014!!

I love all the seasons. My favorite one differs from year to year. It usually depends on what has happened the previous season. I like to set my life up into four sections, instead of one year. I get four chances to make changes or start over if you will. The winter solstice comes at a bad time. Right before the December holidays. We're to rushed to really think about it and most people don't even realize when it happens. We have so much on our minds. In a way, it happens again in the summer. We don't really think about the summer solstice because by then we are well into vacation plans, school camps, easier living and being outdoors. We're just as busy, it just seems to be easier because we can still be outside at 9:00 at night and have daylight. Our daylight is longer, so we perceive that we have more time. The spring and fall equinox is different. Around that time you can feel and see some of the changes start to happen. Little things like a warm or cool breeze. The return of migrating birds, and the warmth of the earth. So Happy First Day of Spring! 

Our winter has been a bit trying this year. We usually get snow, but this year Cincinnati has outdone itself. We have broken and tied cold weather records, we are in the top five years for snowfall, and we had our share of ice storms. I am tired of this type of weather. For Spring break we headed South to get away from it. We needed this. Jake is now a sophomore in high school and his work load is quite trying. Lee has worked non-stop and seems to never be home when it's light outside. I am working with my business and being a Mom so my two worlds collide more often then not. We needed this. As I sit here on my balcony in Orlando Florida having coffee it is 62* warming to 80* later today. I have sun on my face. I feel it warming my soul. We're on vacation, so it's a lazy morning. Sleeping in and not planning the day away. I got up at 8:30 instead of 6:30. It's vacation. But I also am aware that had I woke up in Cincinnati this morning it is 36* warming to 50* later today. There will still be snow piled in the shaded areas of my yard. My grass is brown and the wind will softly speak as it rounds the corner of my house. But if you look closely, you will see the signs of Spring. The maple trees have already started their buds. The rose bushes are turning a light shade of green. The daffodils, crocus, and tulips have all broken ground. The earth is waking up and the warm breezes are soon to follow. For me, this is a great time to reevaluate life. Reset anything that isn't working and start something new and bold. It's spring. Renew, rebirth, rewind. It's a season that really should be celebrated. Take a moment and think about it. I hope you enjoy the first day of spring. I will! Take Care!

The Adventure Ends

Well, our great Mom and Son adventure has come to an end. It actually was over a week ago and I just haven't had time to update you. Taking the time to drive across this wonderful country of ours is a task. Part good and part bad. In this day of rushing to and fro, it would have been much more timely to just fly out to Wyoming, rent a car, do the show,  take a side trip and fly home. I know my lower back thinks that would have been the smart thing to do. But here's what I would have missed by doing that. Seeing just how beautiful our country really is. I will say that part of the trip was very boring driving, but when you look out over the vast grass lands and farm lands, you realize how BIG the middle of our country is. This is the land where our food is sourced. The bluest sky I have ever seen. No smog, clear blue sky, with big fluffy, white clouds. At some points the only people you saw were in the cars on the road with you. Not many exits, no buildings, just big stretches of land. I also would have missed the diners and mom & pop places to eat. It was fun to stop at these places and see what the local special was. These places were quaint, sometimes questionable, but always had great food at a decent price. We could have eaten buffalo or bison, wild game specials, and fries served with everything from cheese, ranch dressing, salsa, seasoned, baked, or just plain. Platters came with your choice of sides like pickle chips, slaw, lots of beans, salad, lettuce wedges and potatoes cut in the shape of fries, logs, wedges, cubes, and slices. We would get desserts, home made ice cream and pie. It was nice to take the time and sit down for lunch. It gave us time to talk about whatever we thought of at the time. It was a nice trip. It was beautiful scenery. Seeing Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park were awesome.  But is was meal time along the way, in an out of the way diner that I will cherish. Just the two of us talking about whatever. No hurry to be anywhere else. Nothing really to distract us from enjoying that time. I got to see what my teenage son is thinking about. I had the time to ask questions, or just listen without feeling the rush to be someplace else. It was perfect. So, the trip is now over, and we are back into our summer routine. Jake is busy doing his stuff and I am back to trying to figure it all out. This is not a trip for the faint of heart. This is a trip that needs to be taken with an open mind and an open heart. The inside of a Honda Pilot can be very small, as can a hotel room. But it can also be a trip of memories. I am sure that Jake doesn't have the same feelings about this trip as I do. It was just a trip he had to take to help Mom out at a pet show. There was a side trip to see a few things, then the drive home. I am hoping that when he is older he will think of it differently. There is another thing that I have learned by doing this trip. I have no interest in living in the vast areas of the middle of our country. I need things like, cell service, rest stops, buildings and people. And if I can be near an ocean all the better. I hope that you have some great adventures this summer. I highly recommend one! Take care!

Road Trip Update - In the Middle

We are now finished with our first week of the trip. Things are going well. It's interesting what you see, and don't see while driving across this wide country of ours. Once you enter into South Dakota you see land. Sometime there are crops on that land, but mostly land. Not very many houses are visible from the highway. It's flat, REAL FLAT land. We did see some specks in the distance that we figure were cows. Since there really isn't much to look at, you tend to read all the highway signs along the way. There are plenty of highway signs. There are your basic informational signs, gas, food shelter. These tend to be few and far between. There was one sign that said "Gas up now, gas can later" this exit. Makes you think about how much land lays between the exits! There are also very few rest stops. I guess they figure if you gas up you'll take the time to go then. The billboards are the funnest things to read. About 200 miles before you would get off to visit these places they start to advertise. The one on I-90 is Wall Drug. For miles and miles there are colorful, funny billboards that advertise stopping at this wide place in the road. There is a similar one on I-75 that advertises Pedro telling you to stop South of the Border. I believe the border is North Carolina, but I could be wrong. Anyway, we had to pick where to stop. Should we stop at Pilgrims Village and see the village with buffalo, or pick Al's Oasis and see what they have there. Then there was Bear Country, where we could drive through a wild animal park. I always like those. There was the Car museum that Jake was sure we could go through really quickly just to see all the old and new cars they had. Yeah...right....taking a 15 year old who is 4 months away from getting his driving temps would take a complete day to go through a car museum. After much consideration we decided to stop at Wall Drug.  Wall Drug started in the early 1900's as a drug store in Wall SD. There is a street of shops selling everything you didn't know you needed. The drug store is still there and working. You can get a buffalo burger and home made ice cream at the cafes. There were tee shirt shops, jewelry shops, cafes, gift shops and all kinds of stuff that I can't remember. On the next street over, there is a place where kids can "pan for rocks". The bigger bag of dirt you buy, the bigger your polished rock will be. There were dinosaurs in all the buildings to honor the dino bones found the area. Yes, it was a tourist "destination", but it was a fun one. Once we hit the West side of South Dakota things changed. The land started to roll, hills and valley popped up in the distance and you could see houses. We were starting into coal country. We crossed into Wyoming during a heavy rain storm. The lightening was beautiful and Jake was trying his best to get a picture of it. We could see train cars loaded with coal. These cars seemed to run for miles. There was a hugh coal processing plant as we came into Gillette. There are tours you can take, but that will have to wait until next time. Today we leave for Custer SD for a few days. This trip has been great. It is the first time Jake and I have gone away. I wasn't sure how this would go. I am seeing peeks of a young man. I watched my teenage son work the booth, help not only me, but other vendors with setting up. He listened patiently as older ladies told him about their pets, living and dead. And he held his ground when a younger woman was trying to get him to give her "a deal" on a purchase. I will never have this opportunity again. My hope is that Lee will. We have five more days to go. I will be glad to be home, with my whole family. I will cherish this trip. I hope that you have a chance to get away with a loved one. Maybe not driving cross country. That can be iffy. But just have some one on one time. Just remember to have an open mind. Not stick to the schedule and try to see out of the way places that aren't on the map. And stop at Wall Drug and have an ice cream! Take care!

Day 1 of the Great Wyoming Adventure!!

Today is the first day of our Wyoming adventure. We have come to some agreements on the road. We will get on the road by 9:00, instead of 8:00. We are not going eat every meal at a fast food restaurant. Imagine Dragons isn't that bad of music and neither is Jimmy Buffet. Today we went approx. 519 miles and took 8 hours to get from Cincinnati, Ohio to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Once you get past the rolling hills of the Ohio Valley, things flatten out. We saw lots of corn and soy bean fields. The highway keeps going on and on and on. There are plenty of signs on the highway in Ill. saying they love their guns. We saw an interesting site. I have seen beautiful homes on golf courses. In Illinois, we saw a hugh farm, overlooking a 36 hole golf course! Probably part of the original farm. For lunch we stopped at a place called the Pit Stop Diner. It was a really neat place. Very 50's with lots of car memorabilia. The food wasn't bad either. It was fun to find this little place on the highway. The big shock was gas for $4.99 in Ill. and then $3.45 in Iowa. The pleasant surprise was the rest stop in the land of Lincoln. It was very pretty place. Lots of flower beds, walking trails, and they even had a play area for kids. It was nice to talk about the end of school and what the summer will hold. Then there was just the riding along in silence. Jake sleeping, taking pictures through the car window and not complaining are we there yet. I guess that will come tomorrow. And so the adventure begins. I hope you check back and see how things are going.

Happy Fathers Day!!

Happy Father's Day to two great men!!

My husband Lee & son Jake.

My parents, Jean & Don

ROAD TRIP!!!

One week from today, Jake & I will take off on a road trip. We are going to Gillette WY for the International RV summer rally put on by the motor coach association. I will be a vendor there. It sounds like it will be a very big show, and I am very excited about doing it. I have done shows out of town, but so far the farthest I've gone is Hershey PA. It will be an adventure! I am really excited about it, Jake, not so much. The idea of driving 22 hours to get there, the idea of not having control of the radio the entire time, having to sleep on a pull out couch in some hotels, the idea of not having his the Xbox. The idea of the only person to talk to is his MOTHER! How could I do this to him??? Simple, I need the help. There will be good and bad about this trip. But here is "the plan". We will leave Cincinnati on the 16th, stop in Cedar Rapids Iowa for the night, the 17th stop in Sioux Falls S.D., then make it to Gillette WY on the 18th. We'll be in Gillette until the 23rd. Then off to Custer state park for a few days, then head back home, stopping in Sioux City and Peoria before arriving home the 28th. It's a plan! What could go wrong?

I shared my plan with friends and family alike. I have been told horror stories of what could go wrong. Let's start with "the silent treatment". You know, that wonderful thing that happens when you and your teen disagree on, well, everything. That can make the long highways of the plains states even longer. My solution. Jimmy Buffet. Especially Jimmy Buffets Fruitcakes CD. I love that CD. I know every word, of every song. Jake may want to be quite, but I plan on singing my way across Iowa. His solution. Noise canceling headphones. Then we have "I'm hungry". I will admit we are both hungry most of the time. Jake because he's 15 and me because I'm watching my weight. The solution. Snacks of baked chips, fruit and cheese. Not really sure how that will go. I might have to wing that one. The "let me drive comment". Here is the thing with that. Jake is 15, in Ohio at 15 and 1/2 you can get your temps. He will be 15 1/2 Oct. 21st. Thank you to several people who have planted in Jakes head that "there is nothing out there for you to hit, how could you get caught" I will have to deal with that. The thing is, they are probably right. However, that doesn't mean that Jake should break the law, drive too fast down the highway with me yelling, run off the road and hit a cow. Yes, that really could happen! I don't think I wish to explain to a state trooper exactly why I choose to subject their great state to the whim of a 15 year old new driver. And the friends and family who said he'd never get caught. They would be the first to say, why did you let him drive?! You know you would! Then, because he is about to learn to drive, I have to watch how I'm driving. I am already getting the, what's the speed limit here. You took that curve kind of fast didn't you? Did you signal? That brings us to the last horror story. Can we go home yet? NO! We are going to have fun. We are going to see rock formations, wildlife, and history. This will be the first (and probably last) Mother-Son road trip and there will be lasting memories. Good and Bad.  The pictures will tell the tale. Who is smiling? The body language. If anyone is in the picture at all! Who knows how this will end? Stay tuned for updates on our road trip!
Take care!

Hmmm.....what to get Dad for Fathers Day??

It's always hard to find something for Dad for Fathers Day. After all, he has been a father for the last 57 years. That's a lot of ties! I can only imagine what all he has gotten over the years from my brother and I. I know some  involved crayons and glitter, and some involved a gift card bought on the way to the house the day of. Then there are the years that my Mom will come to my brother and I and tell us what Dad needs. Very helpful. I decided to look up on Gifts.com the top ten Fathers Day gifts of 2013. It is certainly a wide assortment of gifts and prices. Here are some of the suggestions. For the foodie father, there is the Hot 'n' Spicy Pepper of the month for $36.95, the Snack Attack nut basket for $49.99, and the t-fal beer tap for $139.99. We actually have one of the beer taps and find that they are nice to have during our summer pool parties. Then there is the Portable Hammock for $39.99. We also have purchased that for Dad and for Lee. Both didn't work out well. The thing was a bit shaky getting in and out and then we had to find a place to store it. All I could think of was being responsible for Dad braking his hip with a gift I gave him on the day he was being honored. There were two car related gifts that Jake thought was THE BEST GIFT EVER!! That would be the Race a Ferrari Experience for $356.00 and Ride Shot Gun in a Stock Car for $119.00. The gift I thought was the oddest is pictured below. The Butt Station Assistant. For $11.52 you can get this little blue guy sitting on what looks to me to be a toilet holding a roll of tape with a pen in his mouth. I have decided this is a male figure because a women would never do this. I also have a few questions about how to use the assistant. Since the tape cutter is at his feet, how do you cut the tape? Does he need to be sitting on the edge of the desk? Just how easy is it to grab that pen from his mouth? Is he chomping down on it to hold it? I find this a bit odd, well really odd, and since my Dad is 83 there is no need for the Butt Station Assistant. I also don't quite understand the name. He could be called the Blue Man Sitting Assistant, but that may be a copyright thing.

The Butt Station Assistant

Did you ever wonder how we started celebrating Father's Day? About 4000 years ago a boy named Elmusu wish his babylonian father good health and a long life by carving the message onto a card made of clay. I can't find anything out about what happened after that until 1909. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd, in Spokane WA was listening to a Mother's Day sermon and thought of her father. You see, Sonora's mother had passed and she was being raised by her father. She chose to honor her father during her birth month, June. On June 19th, 1910 she held the first recognized Father's Day celebration in Spokane. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day. There is even a Father's Day flower, the rose. Tradition states that a red rose be worn if your father is living and a white one if he has passed. Well, we're only 12 short days away from celebrating our fathers. Good luck in finding what you are looking for. One thing that will always be the best gift. The memories we have. Take care!

Update: June 2013

Hi,
It's been awhile. I seem to pop in and out of my blog. I must admit, I've missed you. I thought I would take a few min. this morning and bring you up to date. First, everyone is well. That is the main thing. We are happy and healthy.

Jake has just finished his freshman year in high school. I must admit I look at him and realize that in three short years he will be off to college. At least, that's the plan. It makes me sad. Lee & I hope that we have raised Jake to go off and be the best that he can be. True, he needs to do that. But, there is that part of me that makes me sad to think he will leave. I think part of what has brought on these feelings is attending my niece Meredith's high school graduation. She is my brothers youngest child. The last of the family who will graduate from the same high school that I went too all those years ago. She was president of the student council and gave a speech. She did well. In the fall, she will join her sister Courtney at Indiana University. Her oldest sister Gwen just graduated from there a few weeks ago. Off to start the next phase of her life. This weekend was full of pride, laughter and tears. The kids are growing up! Which brings me back to Jake. Today is the first day of summer break and his request was to let him sleep until he woke up and could breakfast involve bacon. I think I can do that. I wonder what cinnamon and bacon muffins would be like?? This summer will fly by. It always does. But there will be a few adventures also. We have a road trip planned, we have been found by extended family from Minnasota and then there is just a slower summer schedule. I'm looking forward to it. I hope to keep things updated and I hope that you have a min. to stop by and see how it's going. Have a wonderful summer!
Take care!

Courtney, Jake, Meredith & Gwen

Twas the Night before Surgery.....

Well, tomorrow is the big day. I get to have out patient surgery. It's a minor surgery. I have a ganglion cyst on the top of my left foot. This swells to giant size and I have a hard time walking and wearing shoes. I don't really mind not wearing shoes, but the walking thing is a real pain! I have put it off for a while. I wanted to see how much I could handle. When I did decide to go to Dr. Morgan, I got a shock. You see, 30 years ago I had a ganglion cyst on my left wrist. It couldn't be drained and I had to have surgery. Back then you had to stay the night in the hospital. When I left the hospital the next day, I had a cast on my arm to keep my wrist still. I only needed to wear the cast for two weeks, then I had it taken off and went on with my life. Today things are different. You don't have to be "put under", so you don't have to spend the night. They give you IV sedation and a block. In other words, we're going to stick a giant needle into your foot and inject something to numb it. But because that would drive you off the table, we'll put you night night with IV sedation first. Then, you wake up from a restful nap and they send you home. I can't help but think of Michael Jackson and his odd napping habits. Now we're getting to the shocking part. Unlike the last time that I had this surgery, I will have a "boot" on for 4-6 weeks! What?! Who has 4-6 weeks to hobble around in a boot? What about Holiday parties? I have talked to other women who have worn this boot. They said the only shoes that they found kept you on an even keel was running shoes. They had a thick enough sole so one foot wasn't shorter than the other.  I can see it now. We're invited to a nice evening out. I usually wear black, so I'm sure I would be in a nice black outfit. Something festive with sparkles on it. Then, you'd get to my feet, and I will have one dirty blue and white New Balance sneaker on and a hunky boot. Hmmm....not sure how to handle that one. Even if I was able to clean up my sneakers, which are always dirty, I don't know how to fit it in with the outfit. But the real shocker comes before I get to run around in a boot that makes my foot look like I belong to the Rescue Heros. For the first few days after surgery, I am supposed to lay with my foot elevated above my heart. Excuse me? My foot, above my heart. Well, there may be a few problems with that. First, I don't think I bend that way. I'm concerned about throwin' a hip! Then there is the fact that my middle is, well, large. It can only be squished so much! Not to mention the idea of laying flat on my back doesn't appeal to me at all. This is really not fun! However, there is always a bright side. Since steps are a no no for a few days. I have set up my own little room on the first floor. It's kind of fun. I put two twin trundles together to make a rather large bed. Lily Dog and I have already tried it out and it's not bad. Then I have my couch, rocking chair, TV, table, computer, nook and magazines. It could seem like a mini vacation. If I wasn't laying flat on my back with my foot up in the air. I will have to work on that part. One nice thing is, this has forced me to do most of my Christmas shopping already. I even have some of my gifts wrapped. Nothing like minor surgery to get you organized! I'll check in later. I hope you have a wonderful day! Take care!

Thanksgiving 2012-By The Numbers

Today was my 53rd Thanksgiving. I was thinking about that today. 53 Thanksgivings. I am very thankful, for many things, but I had never really looked at the numbers. Of those 53 Thanksgivings, 49 of them were spent with the same family members. I have hosted 11 Thanksgiving Dinners. The most I have had at my dinner table was 22, the least was 3. Over the years people have come and gone from our Thanksgiving table. Some because they moved away, and some because we moved away. The door has always been open for anyone who wants to join our family. We had our traditional fare, turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, and more desserts than we can count. Did you know that Campbells soup company developed green bean casserole in 1955? There will be an estimated 30,000,000 households serving it today. The ultimate comfort food. 

The history books say that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, in Plymouth Mass. The guests included the 53 remaining pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians. It really wasn't called Thanksgiving then, it was the Harvest Celebration. It also was not a yearly event. It was an on and off kind of celebration depending on the Harvest. In 1863 President Abe Lincoln declared the 3rd Thursday of November Thanksgiving, and made it an annual, national holiday. He wanted the nation to have a day to be thankful. Well Abe, I know I am. I am thankful that members of my family still get together on this day. I am thankful that I still have my parents and brother and his family here. I am thankful that my husband and son have become a part of this tradition. It's not the turkey, dressing, green bean casserole or even the desserts. It's the stories that are told. The laughter that is heard. It's seeing our oldest generation and realizing that I will be that person sooner, rather than later. It's seeing the youngest sitting in a high chair with mashed potatoes all over their face. It's the kid's table. It's the stories. The fabric of our memories is made with the telling of family stories and the tradition of making that journey. I have had 53 Thanksgivings. I am very thankful.

Take Care!

Where Does The Time Go?

Where does the time go? I remember hearing both my parents say that when I was younger. I never understood what they meant. What do you mean where did it go? The days seemed long, and the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was the longest time period in history! There was always time to play and ride my bike and hang out. With time left to be bored. Now, I would give anything to have another 6-8 hours in the day. Alas, there will always be 24 hours in a day. Now I need to figure out how to make the most of my 24 hours. Well, let's start with sleep. A very necessary part of the day. That takes up 7-8 hours. Then we have making meals, chores, work, driving back and forth to school, throw in a few hours for family time and, well, we're pretty much done. In a perfect world, I would go to bed at 10:00pm and fall right to sleep. Get up at 6:00am, have coffee on the deck or porch and take the dog for a walk. At 6:30 Jake would get up when called, fix his own breakfast and be ready for school by 7:30. Then I would get my computer time done and start work. By noon, I would have completed an insane amount of work, have a healthy lunch, finish up some household chores and start dinner at 5:00, eat at 6:00 and spend the rest of the evening with my family. WOW, that would be fantastic. But that is not my reality. I stay up late, get up early, drive car pool, run a business and run a household. There never seems to be time. So this morning I changed up my routine. After Jake left for school, I took my coffee and went outside in the back yard. I just sat there. I heard the birds singing and watched as a few came to the feeder. There was a mockingbird taking a bath, a heron flew over the house. There were people jogging and walking their dogs. We waved to each other and I thought about the fact that these were neighbors I really didn't know. People don't take the time to get to know each other, we run from here to there and always have more things on the to do list than hours to do them. I hope to change my ways this summer. I want to sit and watch. Observe what happens in my corner of the world. I hope that you too will take a bit of time and see what is happening right outside your back door. Have fun and take care!

Happy Valentines Day, 2012

Happy Valentines Day!! Did you ever wonder why we do what we do on Feb. 14th? Lee and I have spent 29 Valentines Days together. Over the years we've had romantic weekends, dinners and evenings. Our Valentines Day cards have ranged from beautiful cards to cards picked up at the grocery on the way home from work the day of. After we had Jake, we got cards made with glitter, written in crayon, with candy glued to the outside. All of them are in a box in the top of my closet. This mad dash of a holiday made me wonder how it all began. I figured it was a Hallmark Holiday and I wasn't that far off. Although the beginnings are a bit disturbing. Though there is no EXACT origin of the day of love, it did start with being "hit on". Apparently, the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia from Feb. 13th-15th. Lupercalia consisted of drunk, naked Roman men sacrificing a goat and a dog. They would then take the hides of the animals and hit the women with the hides. The women would line up to be hit because they thought this would make them fertile. Then, they had the lottery. The names of the women would be put in a jar, the men would draw a name, then spend the duration of the festival with them. It was reality TV all over again. If they found a match, they stayed together. If not, oh well, there is always next festival. The Catholic Church is honored with giving the name to Valentines Day. Emperor Claudius II executed two men, both named Valentine, on Feb. 14th in two different years. The church honored their martyrdom by calling the day St. Valentine's Day. Then, in the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I combined St. Valentines Day with Lupercalia in order to get rid of the pagan ritual. The festival was still a drunken event, they just kept their clothes on and didn't sacrifice any animals. But it still represented a day of love and fertility. Shakespeare and  Chaucer are to blame for romanticizing the day. In the Middle Ages, handmade paper cards were being given as tokens of love. Enter Hallmark! In 1913 Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, MO. began mass producing Valentine cards. This year's sales are expected to total $18 billion. So, tonight on this Valentines Evening, we will sit down as a family at our kitchen table and eat pot roast, exchange cards/gift cards and enjoy our family Valentines Day. I will also pet Lily dog on the head, glad that Lee didn't feel the need to skin her and whack me with her hide. I hope you have many people who are your Valentines! Take care!

A look back at 2011 & ahead to 2012

There is no other way to say it, this year has flown by. Some of the things I wanted to do I managed to get done and some didn't quite happen. Thankfully this past year was really more ups than downs. Lots of things happened in the news, and celebrities got married, divorced, had babies, got in trouble and more. Those things happened, but I want to look back at what happened in my own little world. My own little highlight reel of life. The first thing that comes to mind is how much Jake has changed. He has grown tremendously in size, and once in awhile I see it in maturity also. :) We have not lost anyone this year that was a close family member. Though I have friends who have. We took nice vacations and added Lily the wonder dog to the family. She has brought joy to all of us and is a loved part of the family. We are all a year older, maybe even wiser. I have started my dog business and feel like I am getting the hang of it. We had a baby boom in the Spring which will make next years reunion great fun! We are in the last year of middle school and feel like it is going well, most of the time. Jake is more independent and everyone is in good health.  I feel like we have been blessed  this past year. I hope you were too.

Now for this year. There are always resolutions that people make. Some are funny ones, some are serious, and some are made just to be broken. I don't usually make resolutions. I don't see the need. I am a great procrastinator so I am always waiting for Monday. I hope to make some changes this year. To myself. As a parent, I want to take this year and make some changes. I would like to "unplug" the family on occasion. Take more neighborhood walks, go to the parks and walking trails and spend some time. I would like to get back out on the golf course this summer and play a round to two as a family. It can be fun! I hope to get out a visit more family and friends that I haven't done in awhile. Especially the older members. I want to get outside more and take those long walks. I need to change some of my personal habit to start doing a few more things for myself that helps make me a nicer person. Relieve stress in ways that I know will work. I want to make "inside" changes. I think if I do a mental make over, then the physical one will fall into place. It's worth a shot. So, last year was great! This coming year is unknown.  I plan on smiling more than frowning. I want to be happy with who I am and what I do. I hope to write more, enjoy my dog business and not let a few peoples negative comments get to me. That is how I want 2012 to be. Check in with me on occasion and we'll see how it's going. My wish for you in 2012, is that you are Happy and Well. I think that's all we need. Take care!

Hello Again!

Hi there! Did you miss me? Life is hectic here in the sandwich generation. Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas and Hanukah is right around the corner. Not to mention ringing in the New Year! This weekend is another of out multi boy sleep overs which I am sure will make me ready for a long winter night!

Our Thanksgiving was a wonderful one. We had another new baby, welcome Caitlyn, Natalies little sister, and it was Lily the wonder dogs first inside family Holiday. Kids and dog went together very well. I sat and reflected on Thanksgivings past while waiting for midnight to start my cyber shopping. We are really blessed in so many ways. We have never been alone on Thanksgiving. We have always had family or friends around for a nice dinner and with wonderful conversation and laughter. Lee and I went out to lunch yesterday. We were sitting in Panara and at the table next to us was an older couple. We started talking and ended up spending 30 min. chatting about things past and present. It was nice. I'm hoping that when we are older there will be people we don't know willing to sit and chat for a min. We enjoyed taking just a small amount of time and sharing our day. This time of year is so busy. I hope you have time to sit down and have a chat with someone, if you know them or not. Take time to enjoy the season. Take care!

United Nations, Lite

The other day I was able to experience a middle school United Nations. Jakes school participated for the first time, along with about 7 other schools. There were approximately 200 kids. The topic that they had to work on was world hunger. Before meeting, the group that volunteered was broken into smaller groups. Then each was assigned a country and they had to research what that countries needs were, and how they could help. Then at the UN meeting, they all came together and started talking. It was really fun to see. These kids were grades 6-8. First they had to learn how to work with the delegates of their own group (country), then they had to work with other countries and try and get them to see their side of the issue. After all the meetings, there would be a proposal and the whole United Nations would vote on it. There seemed to be a lot of canals being dug. Never mind that some of them weren't really near water, or that they would have to run through several countries to get where the water was needed. There was also a lot of trading extra cash. These kids haven't had that big dose of reality yet. Why would a country object to having a canal run through it, just to get water to a neighbor in need? Why would a country object to giving another country money to buy food, seed, farm equipment and much needed clean water? If everything that they had come up with would actually work, it truly would indeed be a great accomplishment. It's harder to explain a country to a child when they haven't seen it in person. They don't live in an area with no running water, dirt floors, and people starving.   I would love to see a student US conference. It would be interesting what these kids would come up with to fight hunger in our own country. Do they know that some kids in their own city don't have breakfast or dinner? Do they realize there are kids in their own school that wouldn't have lunch if it wasn't paid for by the government? There is certainly a need all over the world to fight hunger. I just wish that we would start with our own country. Soon there will be food drives for the food banks, pantries and free store. If you see a good sale, stock up and drop if off. Every little bit helps! Take care!

Ditched at Sea!

This past summer we took a Caribbean cruise. It was very nice. We were on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas. That ship was huge! We were very impressed by the size of everything on the ship. We were on the 8th deck and there still was a lot of ship above us. Besides having a baby pool, splash pool, adult pool, regular pool and several jacuzzis, there was putt putt, rock climbing, wave riding and ice skating. Add in the theater where they played movies and broadway type shows, night clubs, teen clubs, and the casino, there was something going on the entire time we were on board. When we went to Alaska, we did a bunch of family things. Played games, watched movies or just watched the scenery as it glided by. There were mostly "mature" people on the Alaskan cruise. This time was very different. There was a teen club that actually had teens in it. There were kids everywhere. All ages, sizes, countries were represented. In the afternoon, there would be a parade of little ones through the shopping area. They would be dressed in that days arts and craft. It was always amusing to see them strut through smiling and waving at everyone. The group that seemed to vanish was the 12-14 group. We left on Sunday, by Monday afternoon we had been ditched. That's right. Jake would get up and walk with us to breakfast at 9:30 or 10:00. One of his new friends would materialize out of nowhere and mention that a group of them would be at that table over there. As Jake melted into the crowd, we would yell out a time and place to check in. By Tuesday I was hearing names like, Jordan, Justin, Cameron, Matt, Jasmine...countries like Norway, Germany, and Canada. Once is awhile there would be a glimpse of a teenager. Wed. we set some rules. Jake must eat one meal a day with us, dinner. Attending the after dinner show was optional, but we would like his company. That night after dinner, Jake said he would meet us at the theater entrance. He showed up on time, with four of his buddies in tow. That was when we realized that Jordan was female and from Orange County. Technically he did attend the show with us. He just didn't sit anywhere near us. Usually on the other side of the theater! There were activities planned for the teenagers from 10:00am-1:00am. This was time to let him have some space. What could happen? There is always the he could fall overboard thought, but we were confident that Jake would not put himself in any danger and as far as we know, he didn't. Jake had a taste of "freedom" during that cruise. He met all kinds of kids and he is still in touch with a few of them. The Freedom of the Seas gave Jake a taste of independence. It gave Lee and I a look of what's  to come. Being ditched. If you have to be ditched by your kid, it's nice that he did it on a cruise ship that had all kinds of fun things to do, for everyone!! Take Care!

The end is near!

Yes, the end is near, of summer that is. I cannot believe that it is the end of August already. As far as I'm concerned it's the beginning of June! School just let out and we have hot, sunny, lazy days ahead of us. Which we did, two months ago. How time flies! When I was younger, it seemed like summer lasted FOREVER! I spent my summers on my bike. I'd ride "uptown"Bright and meet my friends at Jot Em Down or Rencks store. We'd get a can of pop, sometimes it would be frozen, then off we'd go. We would then ride the loop, which took us through Logan, down Mt. Plesant and then back up Sneakville to Bright. There were no bike trails then. We rode on the road, up and down hills, and waved at all the cars as they went by. It took a couple of hours and we had a great time. We had no video games or air conditioning to keep us inside. The world was different then. I can't say that it was better, just different. I would love for Jake to be outside more, instead of laying on the couch glued to TV/iPad/PS3. But I also can't blame him for laying on the couch in a nice air conditioned room when it's 90* with 80% humidity. I would have loved that too. Add in allergies and I'm right there on the couch with him. Maybe that's what happened. I laid down on the couch and went into a TV coma. It started in June and ended the end of August. I know we went on vacation, I'll tell you that story later, and I started my business, it's just all a blur! Now, this coming weekend is Labor Day. The official end of summer weekend. The WEBN fireworks will happen on Sunday. The family will get together several times over the weekend for pool parties. The evenings will become cooler as will the mornings. It's already started. The mornings are brisk, I love that. I can sit outside with my coffee and enjoy the cool air, in my mind. In reality I am getting breakfast, packing lunches and driving the car pool. Yes, the end is near. Next year I will take a bit more time to enjoy summer! I hope that you created some wonderful moments this summer, there are more to come! Take Care!!

In the Summertime!

Today is a perfect summer day. It is warm and sunny with a light breeze blowing. The pool water is warm and we are hanging out on the patio. Lee and Jake are playing RISK, Lily the dog is laying stretched out asleep and I am just hangin. This reminds me of growing up. I have mentioned before that I grew up in Bright Indiana. When I lived there, it was really country. Many of the roads were gravel, the town consisted of three churches, a grave yard, two general stores, a gas station, firehouse and the grade school. Most of the land was farmed, and "sub divisions" didn't exist. Bright is very different today. Once Hidden Valley was developed in the 70's, there was a building boom in Bright. The roads are all paved, they have home pizza delivery and a Chinese place. There are many more businesses and restaurants than I ever imagined. However, the farmland is a thing of the past, and sub divisions are the norm.

When I was young there wasn't really anything to do in the summer. There weren't that many organized club sports, especially for girls. There weren't any malls to hang out at and no air conditioning. That left us to hang outside. You could look out and see the heat rise off the corn fields across the street. There was a small groove of trees with a creek across the road. I would spend hours over there, walking through the woods, imagining, and playing in the creek. That is where I found the frog eggs and brought them home. We put them in a container and watched them hatch.  The sounds and smells of summers past was very different. There would be the singing of birds, the rumble of a hay wagon, the crunch of the gravel on the road as the milk tank truck went back to pick up the Grubbs milk. Once every couple weeks the "grader" would come down the road and smooth out the gravel. This would cause a large dust cloud to settle all over the place. Mom would yell for us to shut the windows so the dust wouldn't get inside. The smells would vary from Spring to Fall. There was the sweet, clean smell of rain in the Spring. There was also the stinky smell of manure being spread to fertilize the fields. The summer would bring honey suckle and a yellow dusting of pollen from the tassels of the corn as we ran through the rows. At night we could hear the frogs and crickets and chased lighting bugs that seemed to be everywhere. We could see brown bats diving for bugs at our light outside. Greg and I would put a cloth over a rock and throw it up in the air to watch the bats dive for it. I have no idea what we thought we were doing. It just seemed right at the time. There would be the soft ground from the turned dirt in the garden. I loved running barefoot outside, I still do today. In the Fall, there was the smell of cut hay, and a crispness in the air. The garden was turned and put to bed for the winter and we would prepare for ice, snow and electric outages. We raised hogs, so we would have litters of piglets over the summer. Sometimes there would be a couple that were rejected by the sows and we would end up hand feeding them. We would ride our bikes up to Rencks store and buy ice cream, or go down to the grade school and play on the playground. It was a very different time. Today, as I sit in my backyard, watching my teenage son. There is a TV attached to the wall, a iPad on the table and his cell phone. I can hear the hum of the air conditioners and smell the grills being warmed up. I can still hear the birds and later on my yard will glow with fireflies. We will grill out and have a grand time. These are the memories Jake will have when he is older. Playing games on the patio, a sleeping dog, grilling out, warm pool water and he might even remember the birds and fireflies. Everyone remembers things differently. It's your own personal past. I hope that you have wonderful memories of summers past, and that you are making new memories this summer. Take care!

Happy Fathers Day!

Today is Fathers Day. My Dad is 81 and lives with me, so I get to see him every day. I'm very lucky to have a great Dad. The things I remember while growing up was sitting on the couch and Dad reading the comics to my brother and I on Sunday mornings. Dad making sure that when Mom was in the hospital, we stayed together as a family. Even though my Grandmother offered to keep me at her house.  Dad running around the yard holding on to my bike as I learned to ride. That led to my spending hours in the summer riding. Dad making a maze for my science project. I won first prize. Dad teaching me how to drive a stick shift. Dad walking me down the isle, on Fathers Day, 27 years ago. Dad coming to Guam and snorkeling even though he isn't a great swimmer. Dad coming to the Wal Mart parking lot with the truck when Lee and I bought a grill to big to fit in our car. Dad fixing EVERYTHING that needed to be fixed in our new house, and every place we have lived since. Dad holding my newborn son. Dad coming to every event my son and my nieces have been in. Dad teaching Lee and Jake how to fix things, sometimes. Dad going to the markets and craft shows to help me set up. Dad taking care of Lily, the new puppy, when no one else has time. She follows him around like a shadow. I have a great Dad. I hope that your Dad is still with you, and if not, I hope that you have wonderful memories of times together. By the way, I have a great Mom too! Take Care!

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday Lee and I celebrated our 27th anniversary. It is hard for me to believe that I have been married that long. The statistics today for married people doesn't look good. Most people are married at least twice in their life times. You never know. Look at Liz Taylor and Marie Osmond. Who would have thought Marie Osmond would be married three times! She even  followed Lizs lead and married one husband twice. I have a friend who has been married twice, to the same man. They took a year or two off early on the their marriage. How does one keep it all straight? If you marry the same guy twice, do you celebrate the first or second date? I need to ask. If you forget the first date can you make it up on the second? Do you just celebrate both? Hmmm, that sounds like a plan. Lees parent were married over 50 years before my father in law passed away and my parents have been married 60 years. You don't really hear about that much anymore. June 17,1984 was a long time ago. We were different people then. Lee was a medical student who wasn't sure what type of medicine he wanted to practice. I was in college and not sure what I wanted to do, so we got married. The Navy entered our lives in the form of a scholarship and Lee decided on OB/GYN. Off to Virginia we went, then over seas to Guam. Those experiences formed us in some ways. We traveled more than we ever thought we would. We were able to see Bali, Singapore, Saipan, Hong Kong, with stops in Japan and China. Not the type of vacations we really thought we would be doing. We learned to scuba dive and became independent of "the family". Moving away was scary, but I feel that is helped us grow together. To not rely on anyone else but each other. When the time came to decide where we wanted to go, Cincinnati was the obvious choice. Both our families were here, and when you think about it, what do you do for vacations when you live away from your family. You take vacation to visit family. We decided to live in Cincinnati, not vacation there. It has been good. There is always ups and downs in marriage, and in life. It's nice to have someone to take that ride with you, even if the road is bumpy. Sometimes thats the fun of it. Becoming parents in our late 30's also changed us. You look at things differently. We were more settled than if we had been able to have Jake in our late 20's. Yes, Lee and I have changed over the years. One thing hasn't, that is our humor. Our very odd sense of humor seems to have stayed the same over all these years. Maybe that's why we have made it so long. We are able to laugh, at each other and with each other. Love makes the world go round, but laughter keeps it together. Take care!