The Story of My Life

Okay.... all obstacles clear. Mothers are still there to take care of you, even when you are 40. She knew how important this trip was to me and my girls.....and she saved the day- and my brother/sister-in-law and Emm Nanny too!!!! Great to be close to family..... Except for the fact I have to put on a business suit and interview in the morning- and my dear friend is still too sick to go...... All is well and I am off in the morning as soon as I dazzle 3 interviewers with my knowledge. Camera and new really cheap shoes ready and my next post...... Well.... Just guess.... what it will be about????

"@#$*% - I'm obsessed. I can't stop blogging. And I don't care if anyone reads it. I just MUST blog. Must make lists. Must put things in order. Can't stop!" I have been wanting Emm Nanny to blog because we are kindred spirits in many ways: in our love for writing, music and our slightly crazy clearly genetic abnormalities. We love a good gnome hunt, word puzzles, American Idol.....chocolate..... So Emm has started a blog. She is hosting our 2 nd Family gnome hunt from the blog-- and let me tell you, it is competitive!!! She is obsessed with top 10 lists (for the moment) and many other things. Music is a passion of hers, as well as the Sim Soap I already told you guys about. She links her top 10 lists to music videos on You Tube- so I am learning new songs and reliving old favorites I had forgotten. So head on over to EmmNanny's blog, especially if you are a 80's and 90's music lover... leave a comment and encourage her...... but DO NOT HELP MY ...

To quote a favorite poet of mine, Robert Burns.... The best laid plans go often awry! I am a planner. I have had this Bon Jovi trip planned down to the hour for months now. And suddenly..... Life has conspired against me. From 2 job interviews- which I really do not want to go to on this particular date- but must .....IN THE MORNING, TO my best friend's emergency sinus surgery and complications leaving her ticket going unused as of yet- and us both broken hearted that she can't go..... and my child was supposed to stay with her child- thus leaving me without a sitter as,well, I mean how tacky would it be to send my child there to stay with her.....and her crying because she is so sick and not there with us...... TO YET a death in the family with services TOMORROW NIGHT and FRIDAY..... At the risk of sounding selfish, this is Bon Jovi , people!!!!! I am not a good decision maker, and am trying to sort out all these last minute details..... and as my husband says, this is why...

Today is my hubby's birthday and although he never reads my blog, I wanted to let you know that he is older than me. By several years actually. This is the first picture I have of us- pre-married life, so circa 1988. We have had 20 years together- half my life. No hair comments, please. THIS is not about me. We were married 10 years before our first beautiful child came along...had to make sure he is a keeper. Then 4 years or so later, when I was almost too old to have another and he REALLY was.... we had Beautiful baby girl. And although she is FEMALE, she is exactly like her Daddy. Not to say that there have not been times in my life that I could have killed him , the worst thing I have done is throw ice water in his face- twice. But I was young and impulsive then. And he deserved it. ( Oh yes, and put him out of the car going down the highway while heading on vacation... but I digress again.) WAIT- this is a HAPPY BIRTHDAY post. He is a great father to my children and my son got...

"Welcome to Mommy's Kitchen...can I take your breakfast order?" I made the mistake of speaking these words into the microphone of this.... as I was bringing it from the car up the stairs when asking my little girl what she wanted for breakfast. So Now, she won't answer me unless I speak into the microphone. "Would you like cream cheese or jelly or both with your bagel?" "No, Mom, in there.....say it in there...." "WOULD YOUOOOO LIKE CREAMMMMCHEESE....." At least I will have practice when I get that drive thru job. And we do not even use all the credit cards, money and product code cards that came with the $50 thing.....we use it as a microphone. Oh, looks like it will be a long day....... but on the upside-- it kinda makes me feel like I am one cruise ship....you know... "Lido deck special- Banana Royals in Real Coconuts-- with Umbrellas- 2 for one..."

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You know you are getting old and crazy when you get up at 5:30 am on Saturday just for some quiet time to blog. I am turning 40 this year, in October. I have learned many things about life and myself in the past 40 years- but I have learned more about myself in the last 3 years than all the other 37 combined. This is partly due to the nature of life itself and partly due to the nature of MY life the last 3 years. A great friend of mine, Ang, the other half of the heart recipient, emailed me last week the day of her 40th birthday. She said she had been thinking a lot about the number 40. She said that life is kind of like Moses and the Israelites- we wander around in the wilderness for the first 40 years and only a few of us make it bravely to the other side- to freedom and a better life- and only then through great faith and God's grace. I have learned to feel comfortable in my own skin, in my own life. I have learned that it does not really matter what other people think. They ar...

My Top Favorite Bon Jovi Songs..... just for Nanny Emmalee- my fellow OCD. And in Honor of Bon Jovi Week!!!!! 5. It's My Life 4. Runaway - my first favorite long ago.... 3. Seat Next to You 2. Everybody's Broken - love the lyrics- what poetry! 1. Who Says You can't Go Home - my 4 year old knows every word- my theme song for the past few years. OK....I can't do just 5....so insert these...... 5.1 Welcome to Wherever You Are - love the lyrics 4.1 One Last Cigarette 3.1 Roulette 2.1 Livin' on a Prayer 2.2 Summertime - makes me happy 2.3 Story of my Life And if you do not know some of these, http://www.bonjovi.com/ , all albums and songs are there with audio, video and lyrics. And if you don't like Bon Jovi, well I guess you are not a 40ish year old female. And 5 things maybe you do not know about me.... 1. I have a very small tattoo. Hurt soooo much I will never have another. And I got it as an adult and my mother was still appalled. I was a school librarian at th...

It is my husband's birthday next week and he will not be here for the day, so I have a little suprise for him. I have posted about his famous pizza here and the inspiration for it here - Lou Malnati's . I also posted about one of my favorite spots to eat in Chicago - Portillo's . Chicago is his home and I dare say his favorite city. So today, delivered overnight express I will get a birthday treat for him. Lou's Pizza and Portillo's Italian Beef !! It is safe to tell you guys because he never reads my blog...... except when I post about hair and tells me I need job. (And I bought him this special gift anyway??????) So if you want to order a treat for any special occasion or just to try this wonderful Chicago fare....go to Taste of Chicago , get out your credit card, and tomorrow- you can be eating, pretending you are in the windy city---- minus the great shopping and the el - of course.

I am sure you know how happy photography makes me. Especially photographs of my children. I have a link on the side for my favorite photographer, Bentley. I have a wall in my house of portraits he did of my kids when they were younger. I must get back up that way to let him do some more. He does amazing beach work at Destin for several weeks in the summer and he is amazingly talented behind the lens. I have a 16X20 of this on canvas hanging outside the kids bedrooms....and it is my most favorite portrait of my children. If you are like me and love to check out a great photographer's website, then check out my friend Bentley and then let him make amazing pictures of your babies or family. http://www.bentleygray.net/ He is such a great photographer and wonderful person. I was the yearbook sponsor at the high school and he was the photographer. It was such fun-- and just watching him made my love for photography blossom. Not to mention he could show me something on Photoshop that ...

I only watch one show...and it is back. American Idol has substituted my TV obsession while Grey's was away. The wait is over ...... ''At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is reason enough to celebrate.''

Oh, yes they can.

I picked the funniest emails I had recieved lately........ Hung Chow calls into work and says, "Hey, I no come work today. I sick, headache, stomach ache, legs hurt, I no come work." The boss says, "You know something, Hung Chow, I really need you today. When I feel like that, I go to my wife and tell her to give me sex. That makes everything better and I go to work. You try that." Two hours later Hung Chow calls again. "I do what you say, I feel great. I be work soon..........you got nice house." One day, a man came home and was greeted by his wife dressed in a very Sexy nightie. 'Tie me up,' she purred, 'and you can do anything you want.' So he tied her up and went golfing. A woman came home, screeching her car into the driveway, and ran into the house. She slammed the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, 'Honey, pack your bags. I won the lottery!' The husband said, 'Oh my God! What should I pack, beach stuff or mountain ...

Who out there has been to or lives in Colorado? We are planning our family vacation for this summer and have never been to Colorado. I know, I know.....I always, ALWAYS opt for the tropical locations but thought I go for a change of scenery. We are going to my Mother's in Gulf Shores for a week soon-- and that is the beach with good food, so that will give me my sun fix. I did plan a Travelocity trip back to Maui for the 4 of us and if we had about $10,000 to blow on the week, that would be fine. Air fair and hotel alone was almost $7000- not to mention the 15 hours on the plane. I guess that is a better BEFORE KIDS trip- or will have to wait until they are older- Or until they are grown and we can go back just the 2 of us. My daughter's only memory of the word vacation is our cruise. She thinks we are sleeping and eating on the plane, getting off and going to the mountains and looking around at trees and flowers and creeks- and getting back on the plane each night to eat and s...

Untitled Story - The Prologue I have one sister- 15 months younger than me- and we have always been close. I guess not always. Well, maybe we were not close when we scratched and pulled hair at 6 and 7. Maybe we were not close at 12 and 13 when I was grounded from going to Six Flags for kicking her in the stomach and knocking the breath out of her. Okay, maybe not close when she threw a shoe out the door at me honking the horn for her when we were going to be tardy for school at 16 and 15- which incidentally bloodied my lip. Well, again, maybe not when we were fighting on who was taking the best curling iron on a weekend trip at 18 and 19-- and I do mean fighting (in front of both our future husbands). BUT EVENTUALLY- when I backed into a car in college after drinking at a bar with a fake ID- and she paid for the damages because she was making a fortune waiting tables at Quincy's. and again when she let me have her ATM card to go to the beach for a weekend when I was flat broke. wh...

Oh another note, I got some clothes for the Bon Jovi Event at Macy's One Day Sale- that actually lasts 3 days- this weekend. 8 Days to Bon Jovi........ This is a perspective shirt for the Bon Jovi Concert. It is my favorite brand, INC International Concepts from Macy's. I adore their clothes, especially shirts. I have this other one that I am considering..... I had those wooden Dr. Scholls in my youth and I could not resist this sparkly pink pair. These are not for the concert, but the ballfield. They have plastic bottoms and a massagy feeling to the bottom of your foot. And a new pair of Flip Flops....can't have too many. Also, we are overhauling our landscaping. Let me say we are usually not do-it-yourselfers- especially not in the gardening area, so this is new for us. I did compliment my husband. He is as OCD as I am, whether he will admit it or not- just about different things. It bodes well for him in that he starts a project and finishes it....immediately. So, starte...

This is kind of how my day at the McWane Center chaperoning 4 males went. Photoshop Motion Blur filter..... Warp Speed. Read No Signage. Divide and Conquer. The boys' behavior was great, they did it all....and had a great day. They stayed together, they waited their turn and they wore me out. I needed that wheel chair assistance after lunch. They loved the Bed of Nails, the MindBall , the Hurricane Wind Force simulator, the water fountain that could shoot balls and juggle them, the pulley chairs, the warped perception room, virtual reality soccer....so many cool things. Lo, they may not can tell you a scientific principle behind any of it, but they did it all. The Dinosaurs Alive Imax was interesting and larger than life. We were the first ones in the theater and go the best seats dead center near the projector. My son's favorite part was finding his shoe shadow on the huge wall to the right and making animal shadows thereafter . There has to be some scientific principle in ...

from the Troll report Mute Monday.....

Thank you, Dear God, for the beauty of creation, for the richness of days lived with love,and for the many blessings you give us each day... for we sometimes fail to even notice. Help us, Dear God, to be more aware of nature's bounties, to be more generous with our love each day that passes , to be more thankful for our treasures and to be more observant to notice your grace. (This awesome Blessing was the view right outside my front window, right passed the screen of my computer.....that I almost dismissed. As my busy weekend came to a close, it was my pleasure to Thank God for my life, my family, my health and the full moon over me.)

Men start at an early age pushing the envelope, trying things just to see if they can. They start early and do not ever tire of living carelessly- testing the limits of any given situation. Living on the edge and living dangerously comes early to the male, much to the mother's delight. UPDATE: My son and I were reading my blog togehter and he said "I did this last year at school, Mom, but my head came out!" I could list many things here that he has done....... but I won't today..... Sometimes things do not exactly work out like planned or fit exactly as they are supposed to. Females sometimes find this male, dangerous edge intriguing and exciting. Sometimes.....not to much. This is what I like to call creative Improvisation. Sheer Genius. Should he be wearing a life jacket or seat belt? Or both. Who needs a pickup truck? These must be Yankees. All southern boys have a proper truck, don't they? Who needs even rope for that matter ? Or ladders??? Introducing, the ...