Things You Never Asked, But I'll Tell You Anyway Part 2

Once again, in the spirit of over sharing, it's time for another round of Things You Never Asked, But I'll Tell You Anyway! Just 'cause I'm chatty that way. Today, five favorites. Again, in no particular order here's the dirt:

• My sister Cindi teaches at a University in Northern Alabama. She and her husband are very involved with Habitat for Humanity. She has influenced me so much over the years and she has been such an influence on these kids shown below, who were in my area over their spring break this year volunteering their time to build a home. This is on my list because I was fortunate enough to be able to have these great people in my home one evening for dinner, and while I was so in awe of what they were doing, they were so adorable and sweet and each and every one of them wanted to take a picture of me with my dog sitting in the middle of all of them. I would have them back every week if I could. What a wonderful, unselfish group. I could learn a thing or two from them.

• The pink ribbon is special because my husband has this tattooed on his arm. His sister was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and Hero needed to do something to show his support for her. She is a fighter, and is doing fabulously. Love you Lisa!

• My favorite place to get in the mood for the Holidays. Kansas City's Country Club Plaza.
  

Plaza Lights 2007 by Eric Bower

• My favorite bird, the Cardinal. For the longest time, I had one that hung out on my back deck and pecked at the window. His female always nearby. Some of my friends helped me come up with a name for him, Desi. His wife of course was Lucy. He was a constant little critter friend for over 3 years, but disappeared this winter and I haven't seen him. I hope that I don't have to say RIP, Desi. I'm hoping he has just found another feeder to hang out on.
  

• One of my favorite actors is Billy Bob Thornton. When I found out he would be attending the film festival my sister Cindi co-chairs at her University this spring, I was happy... that is such a lame word. I was freaking giddy. Giggly giddy. So giddy, in fact, Mark actually humored me and sat in the car for the 9 or so hour car ride down there. Mark does NOT do road trips, so let me say I felt special and he came out the Hero. Once Again. Pictured below at a reception are my perfect brother-in-law John, Hero, Cindi, Coolest Actor Ever & Me. Swoon. I am such a total Dork. I am aware. I would like to note that were it not for the kindness of the University President, Hero and I would not have been at that reception. We were NOT on the list of invitees. Pure dumb luck peeps. Damn I love it when that happens. Didn't I tell you? Giddy. Giggly Giddy. Still.

Wednesday Wisdom

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This may be my favorite photo of the Hero and me, it was taken by our very dear friends the Altmans in the rain forest of Dominica. In my eyes, it captures the very essence of what the word joy means to me, which is happiness, contentment and dare I say bliss.

I'm not letting the house thing get me down. I'm not letting it take away my joy. I have a good life and many, many good things to look forward to. I know someone who likes to sing "life is a highway..." We will just keep moving along.

Meditations on Disappointment

Zen by Gavin Reece

Our potential buyers backed out this evening. Cold Feet. We are back to square one, which means our house is still for sale. I should not be complaining, it has only been on the market one week and an offer in such a short amount of time was almost too good to be true, though it has happened before, but the market was good the last time we sold a home.

I'm keeping my chin up. We still have time, and Hero can come home this weekend now and we can keep our plans, as scheduled originally, celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of a dear family friend which is where we should be instead of touring houses anyway. Life has a way of setting your priorities straight.

Look at me being all zen. Yes, I did get into those little yellow pills. Ommm.

Murderer Pleads Guilty

Taylor Marquez Pleads Guilty.

Follow the link to read the full story. In short, Taylor plead guilty to second degree murder for the killing of his mother, Pam. Someone I once considered a friend. Taylor has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility for parole in 25 years.

Taylor was the best friend of my son while they were children, before Taylor and his family moved to the next town over. Taylor was considered part of our family, and my son, I know, was considered part of theirs. Pam was my son's daycare teacher for five years. Joe and my ex-husband coached little league together for several years. I loved Taylor. I will never understand what happened, or what provoked him and his friend Eddie to plot the murders of Taylor's parents and succeed in killing one of them, his mother, on a summer's evening in 2006. But that is what happened.

That act has affected many lives beyond those of Taylor's immediate family. My own son who was in London at the time and learned of it upon returning home has never been quite the same. I'm sure there are many young people who must have been slapped with an unpleasant and painful reality that summer.

I'm happy that chapter is closed for us. I'm just so sorry about the pain Taylor's family must feel.

Is it even possible?

Pretty sure our house is on the way to being sold. Let's all take a moment and knock on wood. An offer was extended, the offer was accepted, the offer is being written up.

Not quite a record, as our last house sold in three days, but this is a close second. This house has been on the market for a week. Both houses... loved and adored.

I'm a mixture of excited, ecstatic, nervous, panicked, alternating between laughter and tears. Excited about the new life ahead of me, but sentimental and sad about memories both happy and sad shared in this house. Today is not the day to go into details about all that, I feel raw. A new start seems to be in our very near future. The reality of that became absolutely clear this evening around 6:30 p.m.

Things will be just fine.

Later this week I'm jumping back on a plane. We'll be spending three days looking for a house, not to mention a new town!

Sunday Nights are Hot Again!

Above photo obtained without permission from AMC's website.

Tonight AMC brings back Mad Men for it's second season. I can hardly wait to see what Don Draper is up to, and what happened with Peggy's baby, and how the styles have changed and if they are all still boozing at lunch and well, hell... all afternoon long, for that matter. This season picks up two years later, in 1962. I am positively GIDDY, people.

Weekend Adventures

Fear of danger is ten thousand times more terrifying than danger itself. - Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

I have panic and anxiety disorder. Yet another lovely, attractive and endearing quality of mine. Heh. You know what? Things really are never as bad as I think they will be. Damn, that is a refreshing thing to realize. And thank God for the little yellow pills.

I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane

I'm heading out to see the hero for the weekend and to explore our new area. I say area because we haven't yet chosen a town to settle in. We'll be meeting with real estate agents this weekend to help guide us. I'm excited peeps! For me, picking a new town is like picking out a new toy on a very large scale... so many to choose from. Do we want all the bells and whistles or will simple old fashioned charm do the trick? So many possibilities.

The Fab Five

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.
~Jane Howard

Here we are, the original fab five. My parents have been married for fifty-two years, have raised three daughters, are the grandparents of six grandsons and one granddaughter, and one great-grandson. They are the most generous people I know. My mother has always had health problems, but has never wavered in her faith and in her love and support for her family. My daddy has more character and strength than any one I know. In the fourth grade I wrote an essay about him being my hero. He still is in the way that I look up to him as a personal role model.

My sisters, both talented and smart. They are my favorite people. One is completing her PhD this summer. The other, is a natural in the business world. Both, I am sure, will be horrified to see this photo here. It was taken the morning Hero and I were leaving after the holidays to head back from Alabama to KC. I cherish it. Just the five of us standing in a kitchen. Brings back a lot of memories. It could be the five of us thirty five years ago standing in a kitchen in Raytown, MO. That would be about the last time we all lived under one roof together before life started moving us all around.

I adore my family.

Things You Never Asked, But I'll Tell You Anyway

In the spirit of over sharing, these are some totally random facts about moi:

• I am hopelessly crazy about my son's sense of humor. I don't talk about him often here, he isn't cool with that, but he has been making me laugh hard since 1989.


• My stepson is older than my son by five months. I love the way he marches to the beat of his own drummer.


• I love the colors of the earth.


• I used to eat for enjoyment, then I got a little sick and now I eat for the calories and don't really enjoy eating anymore. Funny how much socializing revolves around food, something I never considered before a few years ago.


• I am a direct descendant of Susannah Martin, hanged on Gallows's Hill July 19, 1692 in Salem, MA. She was one of the women found guilty of witchcraft and condemned to death during the Salem Witch Trials.


• My mother was born and raised in Roswell, NM. She has no memory of any UFO activity during that July 1947. She was ten years old. I still believe...


• I love cowboys. (But I do not love cowboy music.) My daddy is a native Texan.


• I have a very big crush on Anthony Bourdain of TV's No Reservations.


• I'm a little creeped out by the Dugger family. Sorry. Forgive me for judging.


• I have a tendency to be snarky in "real" life. It is probably best to be polite here? I don't know, I'm new at this. Sometimes I don't think "real" Melanie's voice is really coming across in my "writer's voice." No, I don't consider myself a writer. Now I'm confused.


• I have a very youthful sounding voice for someone my age. When salespeople call, they generally ask me to speak to my mother or dad.


• I am basically very shy. Something that surprises people, because I can seem very outgoing.
• Finally, the picture below brings tears to my eyes. These are two of my favorite people. My daddy and my hubby. This was Christmas morning in Alabama.

This is Dedicated to the One I Love

Though I tend to be selfish and feel sometimes that this big change in our lives is affecting mostly me, it isn't affecting only me. Truly. I realize it is not all about me. My husband the hero has roots that run deep here in Kansas City. I'm just a first generation girl here. My family moved here before I was born, but I'm the only Kansas City born, the only Midwest born person in my family. Mark's family, on the other hand came to KC early in the last century. His grandfather's family came here from Novgorod, Russia. Mark's grandfather grew up in Kansas City and eventually opened up a small business in 1924 called Copeland's U.S. Army Store.

Manny Copeland in his new store June 1924

He would eventually marry Eunice in 1930, have a son in 1934 and open several new stores near Army Forts in Kansas and Missouri during WWII and a second location in Kansas City. Finally in 1939, they settled into their final location at 1305 Walnut in a large four story building.

In post war years, Copeland's was known for selling Western wear and riding apparel. It was located in the heart of what was once a thriving downtown.

Hero worked at the family business as a teenager and during summer breaks home from KU. Shown in the photo below, is Manny Copeland (known as Babby to his family) posing in front of Copeland's during the Kansas City Centennial in 1950, so handsome!

After nearly sixty years in business, Copeland's closed its doors in the early 1980's. Not a bad run for a business started on a shoestring.

The old building is gone today, taken down in the name of progress to make way for the new revitalization of today's downtown.

The Copeland siblings of this generation are still here, though, and the children. So are the cousins. The roots run deep. Hero would never make a big deal out of leaving Kansas City, or of any sentimental attachment because he likes to be strong for me. Well, each time I see these pictures I feel sentimental for something, someone I never knew and wish I did, because I know how very much Mark loved him and what a very special man he was to his family and to his community. I'm going to go ahead and make a big deal about it, just this one time. For him.

House for Sale

And so it is, that after weeks of hard work, a For Sale sign is newly planted in our front yard!

This House is Almost READY Kids!

Today is another of a series of very productive days. I finished up my garden maintenance today for another few days, but for today and for the weekend it looks beautiful. I even battled a poison ivy vine ever so gracefully draped over our back fence, courtesy of the backdoor neighbors. Of course I was too dumb to know what I was dealing with, but I Googled it later. I'm kind of hoping the little red marks I have all over my legs and a few on my arms are maybe just a whole bunch of bug bites. I know... wishful thinking. I've never come in contact with poison ivy before. Aside from that, I cannot believe my good fortune that the stars are aligning or perhaps it is just very hard work by several people but this house is ready to sell folks.

The window washers came today. May I just ask, why have I wasted my time for well, for my entire LIFE washing my own windows when these four friendly kids could come in and do all the windows in my whole house inside and out for a very reasonable price? Birds for miles around will be flying into my windows now. The above picture, isn't she adorable? My crew today? A little less geriatric.

Tomorrow, we meet with the agent and list this house. If you want to purchase my 4 bedroom, 3-1/2 bath house with finished basement plus an office... it can be all yours. I need to get my butt to Chicago to be with my husband. Hee... Life is good!

Yesterday's Entry Brought to you by the Makers of Ambien!

I need to make a note to myself. Do not make blog entries after I've taken my Ambien tablet. One only needs to read yesterday's entry to witness the reason why. I wrote the entry late last night, then woke up somewhere around 3:45 and had an odd feeling that I'd sleep written something because my laptop was next to my bed. I opened it and came to this blog and read the entry about yesterday and realized it was a mess, so I tried to edit it at that time but I was still under the influence and obviously didn't catch everything. I'm leaving it as evidence to myself that I should never make blog entries after I take my Ambien.

I am an insomniac. Have been for so many years I couldn't tell you when I have slept through the night on my own. Doesn't matter. The thing is, Ambien really works for me most of the time. I went through a period of time where I wanted to keep a dream journal because I have very odd and vivid dreams. These have been with me since my pre-Ambien days. Hero and I thought perhaps if I wrote them down, we could figure them out. I tried this for several nights, actually writing in the night. In the morning when I would read my journal entries I couldn't make sense of them, and sometimes I would have drawings in the journal. The drawings were crazy. I tossed out the journal. I thought I had learned my lesson. Hero bought me a dream dictionary and it is a blast trying to interpret my dreams together.

Hero, where are you? You are very good at keeping me out of this sort nighttime of trouble. So glad you will be home for the weekend.

Food, Friends & Catching Up

Today was a good day. I worked hard in my front garden, used the hedge trimmers to manicure thee barberry hedge that lines the curved sidewalk leading to the front door. Dead headed flowers, pulled weeds, filled in a little hole in one flower bed with topsoil. Swept the front porch and brushed aside the cobwebs in the corders. After four hours, it was time to go inside. Damn that humidity.

Front and sides look pretty now. Back to work tomorrow.. Must get earlier start.

This evening I had dinner with one of my dearest friends, Ann. She is amazing. She works hard,plays hard and still manages to find time to be my friend. Her hobby is running, she does it well. She recently qualified to run in the NY marathon. I'm a proud friend. We share two other hobbies. Reading and shopping. Reading is great for down time, and shopping is a sport, isn't it? In our world it is. Thanks for picking up the bill, girlie. MY turn next time. We didn't have nearly enough time to talk about every thing!

I was saving a few of the get rid of pile for Ann. She loves to get stuff. Today it was Christmas in July... She inherited 3 large grocery bags full of books, a bread machine, some pampered chef stuff I've never used, a cute shirt from the gap that I can't wear and the tags are still on it! Oh, and a pretty little iron and glass plant stand I bought at Ann's southern interiors party 4 years ago and it has been sitting in my closet every since. Yay, I made someone happy today!

Tomorrow it is all about the back yard and gardens and keeping an eye on the window washers.

We are so close. We meet with the agent Friday night to list this bad boy.

Princess for a day. Make that half a day.

Flickr Photo Originally Uploaded by Mariel 75899.

So... Today I played pretty pretty princess for half a day! I'm not going to lie, I deserved it. After an early morning wake up and a quick run to the only place open at such an early hour, I settled on the evil empire (Walmart for those of you unfamiliar with my absolute hatred of the place.) Unbelievable I know. I haven't shopped there in years, but I had a mission and a list and this is the good part... MAIDS coming today to clean my house. So awesome for me. Really. I'm not at all used to that sort of thing being that I'm a stay at homer and all that hoo hah.

After I came home from the evil empire and installed the new toilet seat I bought, and put out the new towels in the freshly rehabbed bath downstairs and spread out the bath mat, just so... I moved on to replacing light bulbs throughout the house. Bored yet? I know. My life is so exciting. It is an adventure every day. I got rid of the last of the miscellaneous JUNK in my life by unloading it on my carpenter who offered to take it all to the dump for me for a much better price than 1-800-GOT JUNK was charging me. You guys I feel so free and all "living simply-ish" now that we are all organized and free of crap.

Oh My Gosh, I haven't told you that I vacuumed the garage on Saturday... including the ceilings. I freaking dare a leaf to blow in there. I just got off subject. Sorry.

I was going to tell you about the MAIDS. They showed up early afternoon in a group of three and cleaned while wearing my princess slippers with dog by my side just sat in my big fluffy chair and surfed the Internets. Such fun that was and knocked like a day and a half off my chores for the week because ... we are putting the house on the market Friday! So relieved to be finished with all the work. The last contracted job is tomorrow. Window washer is coming to clean all windows inside and out.

On that note, I'm out. Must rest, tomorrow is another busy day. Working in the garden tomorrow.

***EDIT. What the heck. Why are my paragraphs not showing up Blogger? My big sister the English Professor reads this blog and I am self conscious. Cindi its not me. Don't be judging sister sledge. Love you.

Out of Blog Auto Reply

I will be away from my blog today, but if you need to reach me I will be in my office and available by email at hellonewlife at gmail dot com.

Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

Ever get a case of the I should have done that while I had the chance to's? Or how about if things would have been different, I could have ... well, go ahead and fill in the blank. I'm sure we all would have done something fabulous if we only had the chance, or the the money, or the opportunity just dropped right out of the sky and into our laps.

I was chatting with an old friend the other night and I mentioned that I wish I had taken care of something with my ex-husband years ago, while I had the chance. My friend said "Don't start with the should haves." Absolutely solid advice, (Thank you!) the should haves will drive you crazy... not to mention nothing productive can come of them.

I keep thinking about the shoulda, coulda, woulda thing. Seriously, the whole idea goes against my general policy of trying to look forward and not looking back. I said try, I didn't' say I had the whole principle perfected! I'm still capable of handing out a verbal bitch slap here and there for perceived wrongs on the part of others, and wishing it were the real deal. But I'm working on it.

Lizzie my love... sick again. *UPDATE!*

My beautiful dog Liz is sick again with pancreatitis. Last evening I was chatting away with my mom on the phone and the dog just threw up all over my brand new carpet, three times. I hung up the phone and called the vet and they said bring her in now. She is hospitalized and they are doing IV fluids and antibiotics and further testing.

I don't give a crap about the carpet, well I kinda do, but Liz... be a fighter baby.

*Liz came home Saturday afternoon, feeling a bit better. Hopefully she can recoup and be good as new in a few days.

The Food List

Yesterday I spoke of food in KC that I will miss. Today, in no particular order are a few of my faves. Minsky's Pizza. Oh. My. God. So much time during my teenage years spent here, then post partying during my twenties, then when I moved to the 'burbs after marrying, there were the Minsky's sponsored little league baseball banquets at the local outlet in Blue Springs. In my humble opinion, the best pizza in town.

Cascone's. Fabulous Italian food, great service. Hero and I had our rehearsal dinner there and many subsequent family birthdays have been spent there.

Winstead's for the best burger and fries in town. I get the single, no cheese and fries. The original Windstead's on the Plaza has been open since the forties. Just a bit of useless trivia... my childhood friend Shelly's grandfather was the man who started it.

OMG, Fun House Pizza... the good one, in Raytown. Is this the original? I don't know, but this is the one I grew up going to. I remember going there with my parents every Friday night from the time I was about four years old. At that time, the place was dark and there were neon paintings on the walls and an area in the back with ride on toys for the kids. You could look in the window and see the pizza's being made. It was awesome. I went back about 8 years ago and they had totally remodeled it. It is all light and bright. Not at all the same, but the pizza was as good as ever.

Zarda BBQ stole my heart. The original is here in Blue Springs, and we eat there regularly. I'm not a BBQ expert, I only know what I like. I like the sauce here, and the ribs, and the beef, and the chicken.

While we are on the subject of BBQ, KC's Arthur Bryant's has my favorite burnt ends. Hands down. Again, I am no expert on food or BBQ, but I know I like those burnt ends.

Okay. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am not a foodie. I rarely eat more than one meal a day plus some nutrition shakes here and there. If it seems that I am only writing about junk food (except Cascone's) in this listing, well that may be because these are the foods I would really like to eat the most (who wouldn't) but limit myself. I have an inflammatory bowel disease... good times, right? Anyway, I am pretty limited in my dining choices a lot of the time, depending on how I'm feeling... so a diet of boring bland foods creates junk food cravings! Enough about me. How are you? What do you like to eat here in the old cow town?

Things I Need to Do Before I Go...

1. Visit Powell Gardens, Kansas City's Botanical Garden. Why have I not taken the time to go there before?


2. Take a drive over to Raytown, MO which is the town where I grew up. I rode my bike around that town with my best childhood friend Denise, played Barbie dolls with my friend Karen until sixth grade when we knew we were too old to play with Barbies but played with them anyway, I lived in at least ten different houses because my family moved a LOT... maybe I'll drive by a few of the more memorable ones. I took piano lessons in a big (to me at the time) white house on Sterling Avenue for six years. One time, I didn't want to go to my lesson because I HATED them. I jumped out of the car while my sister was driving. She was sixteen and it was her first time to drive me anywhere alone. No, the car wasn't moving fast and yes I was a huge brat. I think I would like to tour the town, I haven't been there in years. I would like to say goodbye to it. I hear it has changed a lot since the days when I was growing up there, but the good clean memories of youth are still in my head.


3. Make lots of time for visits with friends! Really, that should go without saying but I would feel anxious if I didn't mention it on my list!


4. I keep thinking, so many things I want to do before we leave have to do with food in KC. That may have to be a list of its own, but I have to put KC BBQ on this list. Eat as much of it as I can while I'm here. Obviously. No matter how badly it irritates my tum.


5. Seems like such and obvious and uncreative thing, but always one of my favorites I want to take a little trip down to the Country Club Plaza. Haven't been there in a while, a trip to Anthropologie sounds nice.


6. For someone who is as interested in art as I am, I am wholly ashamed to admit that I have not taken a trip down to the Crossroads District for First Fridays. The first Friday of the month, the galleries open their doors from 7-9. All of the sudden, I feel like I will erupt in spontaneous combustion if I don't get down there one of these weekends. Why have I been so lethargic about this?

Okay, so six is the number today. Was supposed to be a top ten list, but I'm boring today. Actually I'm kinda down for the count... not feeling well so my brain is stuck. The wheels are turning very slowly in there.

Also Starting a New Life, My Nephew...

This is my handsome nephew A. He is the son of my eldest sister, Pam. He and my kiddo grew up like brothers, two years apart, going to the same schools until his mom was relocated to Texas when A. was in eighth grade. A. came to live with my kiddo and I to finish out the school year and spend the summer. I felt so honored to have him in my home, as if I had a second son. It was the perfect timing. My ex-husband and I had just divorced and I was, well frankly I was going through that whole post divorce emotional trauma. I just don't do trauma very well, looking back. Anyway, having an extra child to care for was such a blessing and helped me keep my mind off myself a bit.

This week, A. is traveling from Texas to Alabama to finish college at the University where my other sister Cindi teaches. I am a little jealous that so many members of my family are all there now, in Alabama. Who would have thought. Anyway, I'm proud... so very proud of A. Another one of the clan of kids grown into an independent young man.

Cool picture above don't you think? I snagged it off his Facebook page. Shhhh. Don't tell. ;-)

A lovely hobby.

This is my favorite spot in my garden.

This is my son's favorite spot.

Basking in the Afterglow

So much work to be done, kids, but so much accomplished this weekend. Our hero came home ready to work, my shoulder was feeling okay so we kicked it into high gear and now our garage has a pile that resembles this photo to the left. Anyone want anything? Come on over and pick thru it, Deffenbaugh hauls it away on Wednesday. Most stuff came from the scary basement.... the unfinished storage area in our basement. The room I never go in.

Considering the fact I am NOT a pack rat, I have a shameful amount of crap I've been packing around with me for no apparent reason. I'm feeling liberated and SANE, folks. SANE! Just a little ashamed and nervous about the 50 bags and boxes that will be out on my driveway on Wednesday.

Moving on. I also tackled the bathroom in my teenager's old bedroom downstairs. I just need to share with you that whoever wrote this ad for Gillette toilette cleaner must have been smoking whatever equivalent of crack they had back in the day. Evening gown, my ass. Please. I used twenty-first century products thank you very much, and had to scrub like crazy to remove those hard water stains.

I will take a moment to endorse "Kaboom" it worked wonders on the shower tiles and vanity.

New carpet for the house arrives Tuesday and Wednesday.

Missing the hero already, thanks for all your help this weekend baby.

Happy Belated Birthday, America

The 4th of July is always a meaningful day for me, aside from the historic importance which as an American citizen I do not take for granted, but also on a more personal level.

I currently live in a town that embraces the age old traditions of the 4th, fireworks are still sold on every street corner by every civic organization in town, and families still get together in their driveways and Cull-De-sacs and shoot them off at dark. I have so many happy memories of teaching my son firework safety through the years along with my ex-husband (only because I have to give him credit, because he deserves credit for that much). My son used to love going to the fireworks stands and picking out his bag of sparklers and black cats and snakes and whatever else we would let him have as he got older. I have a treasured memory of my own dad teaching all his grandsons in the driveway of my house how to build bombs out of black cat firecrackers and blowing up happy meal toys that we had accumulated over the years. After my sisters moved away, often they or their kids were in town over this holiday and I had the pleasure of sharing it with them and my parents. Once Mark and I were married and he moved to my town, he discovered the joy of the old fashioned 4th too, along with his son Ryan. New traditions were born!

My parents have moved away now, we'll be moving soon too. My son spent the 4th with his buddies this year, and Mark and I spent the day working on the house but I had the chance to recall those silly little boys playing with fire and making loud noises and how excited they would be. I love that all my boys are now young men, but would love to relive just one of those old 4th's. Definitely the one with my dad sharing his bomb making knowledge. That would be the one. For sure.

All the World's a Stage...

Personally, that means I spend my days clearing out the rooms in my home of all things personal in order to set the mood for a potential buyer to picture themselves living here. Gone are the family photos, personal clutter, magnets on the fridge reminding me that I have a doctor's appointment in August. I've been "staging" my house. Hell, for the next several months I may as well pose as anyone I want to be... this house isn't my home anymore. I suppose that could be fun... nah, just kidding if you are reading this hero. Love you.

While I'm in more of a home staging phase in my life, my son T, the talented and fabulous actor, is heading off to college in August to major in Theatre. My kid is hilarious, and was born with a certain charm and energy, a drive to create. He is really into improv theatre, his sense of timing and his way with words is, well it is something else. It is him. I admire him for not being afraid to take on roles that are out of his comfort zone. He recently took part in the musical Seussical! for his High School. He had to dance a lot for the role, during rehearsals he reinjured an old injury in a knee he has had surgery on a couple of times. He was a trooper, got a steroid shot from the ortho doc and went right on. I'm such a proud mom. I'm going to miss him terribly when he goes away. I just love him and his adorableness.

Sweet Liz

The most perfect companion in all the world. My sweet girl Liz, for thirteen years she has sat at my feet and communicated with me by her expressive eyes. She has chronic pancreatitis, cataracts beginning in both eyes and arthritis. I cook a special low fat diet for her to eat five small meals a day, and take her for canine accupuncture when she needs it for her pain. I whisper in her ear each night, "please be a fighter" and then like the ultra religious person I am, (not) I say prayers with her. I know, heartbreaking for me to be such a borderline nutty dork. I absolutely love this dog. Can't help myself.

Right now? This adorable bundle of fur as soft as a rabbit is sitting at my feet passing some deadly gas. Yes. She is farting like an old lady with nothing to lose. Loud and proud. God, I still love her... please help her to keep fighting.